Gelation and water binding properties of transglutaminase-treated skim milk powder

Transglutaminase (TGase)-treated skim milk powder (TG-SMP) was prepared by freeze-drying skim milk after TGase treatment (10 U/g milk protein, 40 °C for 3 h), followed by TGase inactivation at 85 °C for 5 min. TGase modification resulted in significant increases in hardness and water holding capacity (WHC) of heat-induced gels (10% protein, w/v). A marked increase in storage modulus (G\u27) of TG-SMP upon heating suggests that TG-SMP has a greater gelling ability than control-SMP (C-SMP) prepared with predenatured TGase. Acid gels prepared from TG-SMP had a significantly higher WHC at all solid levels (12%, 14%, and 16%) tested and formed a more elastic network than C-SMP