Effect of ascorbic acid on the foaming and gelling of globular proteins

Summary Foam expansion and foam stability of plasma and egg albumen proteins were enhanced in the presence of increasing concentrations of ascorbic acid (0.1–1.0%). BSA showed the greatest improvement in foaming properties following treatment with ascorbic acid, whilst foaming properties of egg albumen were improved to a limited extent. A combination of partial acid hydrolysis and treatment with 1% ascorbic acid was required to dramatically improve the foaming properties of bovine blood plasma. In the presence of sucrose, foam expansion of both native and ascorbic acid‐treated blood plasma was decreased. In contrast the foam expansion of ascorbic acid‐treated egg albumen was greater although this effect decreased slightly on incubation. the gelation of ascorbic acid treated proteins increased with increasing temperatures over 80–90°C, particularly for BSA and blood plasma, and with increasing concentrations of ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid‐treated proteins exhibited enhanced surface and exposed hydrophobicity and reduced numbers of sulphydryl groups indicating the involvement of these factors in foam and gel formation.