Effects of tea polyphenols on the conformational, functional, and morphological characteristics of beef myofibrillar proteins

Abstract The main purpose of this study is to find out how tea polyphenols affect the conformational, functional, and morphological characteristics of beef myofibrillar proteins(MPs). Polyphenols addition did not change amine group contents of MPs but caused a slightly increase in carbonyl groups of MPs at high level addition, and it can also decrease the sulfhydryl groups and induced the formation of disulfide bonds (S–S). The solubility, surface hydrophobicity and emulsion activity index of MPs were decreased by polyphenols, but the emulsion stability index did not change. Surface morphological analysis of MPs gels showed that polyphenols addition was harmful to the formation process of MPs gels but increased surface complexity of MPs gels. The degree of MPs aggregation was related to how much polyphenols were added to MPs suspension. Low ratio polyphenols caused a small fraction of MPs to aggregate and high ratio polyphenols resulted in excessive aggregation of MPs.