Improvement in gelling properties of packed tofu by mixed blood components

Packed tofu was prepared from the mixture of soymilk and whole blood or fractionated blood. Gel strength of the tofu increased by mixing whole blood and at the same time drain rate decreased. The red blood cell fraction had more remarkable effect than the plasma fraction. Little improvement in quality was observed when a hemoglobin solution was mixed. It was suggested that the improvements in gelling properties were caused by protein-protein interactions or that some materials other than proteins play an important roll in gel formation. No blood proteins were detected in the drain from the tofu, suggesting that blood proteins contribute for forming a gel network.