Relationship between gel properties and water holding of ovalbumin-carboxymethylcellulose electrostatic complex hydrogels

Abstract The relationship between the water holding (WH) and gel properties of protein-based hydrogels is important for designing and regulating the texture and sensory properties of foods. Herein, the relation among WH and heat-set gel properties of ovalbumin (OVA)-carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) electrostatic complexes was explored. The results showed that the gels exhibited homogeneous and dense structure and good WH compared with pure OVA at pH 4.6, while Young's modulus decreased significantly (P