Abstract
CaCO(3) and NaHCO(3), respectively serving as chemical leavening agents, can promote the expansion of protein or starch extrudates, thereby forming a porous structure. However, the characteristics of this porous structure under the combined regulation of CaCO(3) and NaHCO(3) remained unclear. The results indicated that increasing the proportion of NaHCO(3) promoted the expansion of the extruded protein-starch gel network, with its expansion ratio significantly increasing from 2.29 to 3.17 (p < 0.05). This expansion resulted in larger pores, which corroborated the observed significant increase in water holding capacity (WHC). Conversely, an increase in the proportion of CaCO(3) led to a denser porous structure accompanied by a reduction in WHC. Meanwhile, the extrudate with a CaCO(3)/NaHCO(3) ratio of 0:2 exhibited the lowest hardness, measuring 8.87 N. As the proportion of NaHCO(3) increased, the pH shifted toward the alkaline range. This increase in pH enhanced the flexibility of the protein structure, leading to a significant rise in the proportion of disordered structures in the protein secondary structure, such as random coil and β-sheet, which facilitated the formation of an elastic gel network. In conclusion, both CaCO(3) and NaHCO(3) significantly modulated the porous structure of the protein-starch gel network formed during extrusion. This provides a new perspective for investigating the relationship between the protein-starch gel network and the quality characteristics of extruded products.