Effect of structurally different pectin combined with polyphenol on water distribution, protein oxidation and heterocyclic amines formation in meat-based snacks

This research studied the effect of structurally different pectin combined with polyphenol (PP) on the physicochemical properties, inhibition of protein oxidation and heterocyclic amines (HAs) formation in fish meat snacks. The findings demonstrated that pectin with a high degree of esterification (DE) and average chain length (ACL) significantly reduced cooking loss, improved zeta potential values, and reduced particle size when combined with polyphenols, indicating an inhibition of protein aggregation and crosslinking. The addition of PP decreased the carbonyl formation as compared to individual polyphenol and control. Low Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LF-NMR) analysis publicized that PP combination increased the water binding capacity, which resulted in less free water (T22 and T23) in those samples. Furthermore, LC/MS analysis revealed that PP combination, retained the water inside the macromolecules and prevented the relocation of water to the surface, which resulted in the less HAs formation as compared to control. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that combination of PP samples formed a compact structure evidenced by less wide holes while control sample revealed loose structure. The findings suggest that 201 and 601 pectin combined with catechin have potential to improve the physicochemical properties and inhibition of hazardous compound formation.