Viscoelasticity and Protein Interactions of Hybrid Gels Produced from Potato and Whey Protein Isolates

Controlling the textural properties of protein gels is of high importance for designing food and other protein products. The combination of animal-derived proteins and plant-based proteins offer the possibility to create nutritional, sustainable, and also textural advantageous products. However, interactions between proteins from different sources and with different molecular features are not well-understood yet. By analyzing the interactions between whey (WPI) and potato proteins (PPIs), we can determine how gel structures in protein gels form. Through different mixing ratios, pH levels, and ionic strengths, we show how the formation of disulfide and hydrophobic bonds influence the textural properties of protein gels. It could be shown that, up to a 50:50 mixing ratio, the properties of PPI dominate those of WPI. Gels with a high elasticity could be formed only through the development of a continuous disulfide network.