Ice Structuring Protein In Food Industry Essay

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Potential application in food industry

There is a great promise of application of ice structuring proteins in food that are frozen. Ice structuring proteins can inhibit re-crystallization during freezing storage, transport and thawing, thus preserving food texture by retarding cellular damage and minimal loss of nutrients (for fruit and vegetables like strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes) by reducing drip (Griffith and Ewart, 1995, Feeney and Yeh, 1998, Breton et al., 2000, Wang, 2000). Re-crystallization in frozen food occurs when temperature fluctuates during storage or transit, resulting in coarse texture. This technique is well suited to ice cream (Warren et al., 1992). Ice structuring proteins also find use in chilled and frozen meat, where large ice crystals may form intracellularly, resulting in drip and loss of nutrition during thawing. Since ice structuring proteins are located extracellularly in freeze-tolerant organism, these proteins can be added to food by physical means such as mixing, injection, soaking, or vacuum infiltration, or even by gene transfer (Venketesh and Dayananda, 2008).

Ice structuring proteins in ice cream

Ice structuring protein does not affect the quality of ice present at any given temperature but influences the size and shape of the ice crystals formed; crystals produced being rod shaped rather than usual round ones. Manufacture of ice cream and edible ices has the product mix entering the freezer at 5°C and extruded at nearly -6°C where approximately 60% of the final ice structure formed. Clarke et al., 2004 studied the ice crystal size distribution in ice cream as affected by ice structuring protein of winter wheat grass, before and after temperature abuse (cycling between -10°C and -20°C e...

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...d the absence of IgE binding from patients allergic to protein from the source as well as histamine release from basophiles is required to be carried out.

Conclusion

Ice structuring proteins are natural products that form part of a normal diet through their occurrence at high concentration in fish and vegetables. Their diversity and various activities show that the proteins are intriguing parts for use in preserving the quality of foods during chilling frozen storage. Large ice crystals destroy the texture and taste of ice cream. So, use of ice structuring protein is suggested as natural ice crystal growth inhibitor in such products. However, selection of ice structuring protein is based on its easy availability, its changes in certain chemical properties during processing of products, its taste and its related impact on food and food properties, safety and cost.

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