Abstract
In this work, two different covalent reactions, namely, alkaline reaction and free radical oxidation, were selected to compare the difference in the strengthening effects of ultrasound treatment (UDT). The grafting effects were verified by protein electrophoresis and bound gallic acid (GA) assay. Furthermore, non-covalent interactions between myofibrillar protein (MPN) aggregates were destroyed by UDT, as proved by the lower particle sizes and higher ζ-potential. Comparatively, the results from tertiary structure index and circular dichroism revealed UDT-assisted free radical oxidation could lead to better conjugates with greater structural properties. The atomic force microscope (AFME) and protein flexibility showed that MPNs appeared to display as irregular spherical particles after alkaline reaction, however, maintained fibrous structure during the free radical oxidation. Consequently, the combination of UDT and free radical oxidation were more effectively for strengthening the influence of acoustic cavitation on MPNs, of which mechanism was the changes in viscosity properties, microstructure and acoustic cavitation radicals.