Effect of selective thermal denaturation and glycosylation on the textural properties and microstructure of vegetable tofu

The impact of selective thermal denaturation and glycosylation on the textural properties and microstructure of vegetable tofu made from carrot and seaweed was investigated. Thermal denaturation treatment (80 °C for 5 min) could significantly enhance the hardness and gumminess of carrot–seaweed tofu (p < .05) and made its network structure more homogeneous and denser. Moreover, glycosylation treatment (1% glucose, 100 °C for 10 min) could remarkably improve the textural properties and network structure of carrot–seaweed tofu. Therefore, the thermal denaturation and glycosylation treatment of soymilk could be an effective way to improve the texture and microscopic structure of carrot–seaweed tofu. Practical applications Tofu is a soybean protein gel with rich nutrition and can complement protein, vitamins, and minerals needed by human body. Vegetable tofu made from carrot and seaweed is a novelty tofu product with the beautiful color, rich nutrition value, and moderate taste, possessing better market application prospect. In addition, selective thermal denaturation and glycosylation can effectively improve the texture and microstructure of carrot–seaweed tofu. Accordingly, selective thermal denaturation and glycosylation can cater to consumer demand for tofu nutrition and diversity, besides producing the better quality carrot–seaweed tofu.