Preparation of sodium-containing coacervates via high-voltage electrostatic field treatment: Saltiness perception of prefabricated chicken patties

Sodium-containing soy protein isolates (SPI)/apple pectin (AP) coacervate dispersion were prepared via highvoltage electrostatic field (HVEF) application to inhomogeneous spatial distribution of sodium as a strategy for reduction of salt content and enhancing the saltiness of prefabricated chicken patties. SPI/AP coacervates were prepared by HVEF processing at pH of 4.0, HVEF voltage of 32 kV, and ratio of SPI: AP to 5:1 which was optimized according to Artificial neural network (ANN)-coupled with genetic algorithm. Fluorescence intensity and FTIR analysis demonstrated that the HVEF treatment caused alteration of protein conformation, improved hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions between SPI and AP. At the NaCl concentration of 100 mM, HVEF treated sodium-containing SPI/AP coacervates achieved maximum phase separation as well as coacervate yield (85.23 +/- 0.51%). HVEF treated sodium-containing SPI/AP coacervates displayed increased sodium fluorescence intensities, higher sodium concentration difference between coacervate phase and supernatant, and smaller particle sizes. Furthermore, HVEF treated coacervate dispersion showed higher sodium release in vitro during oral digestion. The saltiness of prefabricated chicken patties prepared using HVEF treated coacervates dispersion allowed a reduction in the sodium content of 43.59%. The increase of saltiness perception and sodium release in prefabricated chicken patties is attributed to enhanced water mobility in the matrix and distribution of inhomogeneous sodium.