Effect of konjac oligo‐glucomannan on emulsifying properties of myofibrillar protein

BACKGROUND The high viscosity of konjac glumannan (KGM) limits its application in meat processing. In this work, the effects of konjac oligo‐glucomannan (KOG), as a derivative of KGM, on the emulsifying properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) and the related mechanism were investigated. RESULTS It was found that the addition of KOG had no significant effect on the secondary structure of MP, but altered the tertiary conformation of MP, resulting in exposure of tyrosine residues to polar microenvironments and decreased intrinsic fluorescence intensity. In addition, the addition of KOG increased the emulsifying activity of MP, resulting in decreased particle size and improved physical stability of the emulsion. The emulsifying activity of MP reached the maximum value when 1.0 wt% KOG was added. Moreover, the interfacial tension and interfacially adsorbed protein content of MP/KOG emulsions decreased with the increase in KOG concentration. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrated that KOG mainly interacted with MP and changed the amphipathy of the KOG‐MP at the oil–water interface, forming a stable interface film to improve the emulsifying properties of MP. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.