@article{Shi2026, 
author = {Haibo Shi and Ruyi Zhang and Jiabao Zheng and Xianqi Yao and Wei Wang and Xiaochen Liu and Igor Tomasevic and Weizheng Sun},
title = {Reduction of NaCl in oxidized myofi brillar protein by substitution with chloride salts: underlining the gel changes and gastric digestive properties},
year = {2026},
journal = {Food Science and Human Wellness},
volume = {15},
number = {1},
pages = {9250331},
keywords = {Sodium reduction, Protein oxidation, Gel property, Simulated oral chewing, In vitro gastric digestion},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FSHW.2024.9250331},
doi = {10.26599/FSHW.2024.9250331},
abstract = {The changes and gastric digestive properties of gel were investigated for oxidized myofibrillar protein (MP) (0–1 mmol/L H2O2) treated by 30% substitution of NaCl with KCl, MgCl2, and KCl/MgCl2. Mild oxidation level (0.3 mmol/L H2O2) facilitated the protein unfolding, and MgCl2 obviously intervened the protein self-assembly by forming the salt bridge and more disulfide bonds. At the same oxidation concentration, the sodium-reduced MP substituted with KCl formed dense network structure with better gel strength (increased by 6%–18%) and water retention in comparision to the gel without sodium reduction. The KCl-substituted gel chewing work was also relatively higher among the low-sodium samples at the first chewing cycle. Reversely, the relatively soft structure and lower gel viscosity in simulated oral chewing were found in MgCl2-substituted gel. These changes decreased the contact limit between pepsin and protein for better gastric disintegration or pepsin diffusivity, and increased the proportion of small molecular weight peptides (25.83%, < 5 kDa). Therefore, partial substitution of NaCl with other salt replacers could influence the physicochemical properties of low-sodium MP suspension or gel under different oxidation degree and the subsequent gastric digestion characteristics.}
}