The effects of replacing starch with cellulose on the gel properties of myofibrillar protein were investigated to provide a theoretical basis for the application of replacing starch with cellulose in sausage.

Different proportions starch/cellulose-myofibrillar protein were set as the simulation system to study the water holding capacity, color, texture properties, and stress and strain during fracture deformation, to analyze the dynamic rheological properties and creep recovery properties, and to observe the spatial distribution and three-dimensional network structure of starch/cellulose-myofibrillar protein.

By increasing the proportion of starch and cellulose, the water holding capacity and storage modulus of the composite gel were improved. When the addition proportion of starch and cellulose increased from 0 to 2.0%, the hardness and chewiness of composite gel gradually increased to the maximum; compared with the control group, the hardness was increased by 29.47% and 43.69% respectively, and the chewiness was increased by 34.82% and 41.58%, respectively; however, L* and whiteness had a tendency to decrease. The maximum stress (9 681.86 Pa) and the minimum strain (1.14) were obtained when 2.0% cellulose was added. The value of the creep modulus of the composite gel decreased gradually with the increase of the proportion of starch and cellulose, while the value of the composite gel in the cellulose group decreased more obviously under the same proportion. Paraffin sections showed that starch and cellulose were simply embedded in the gel network structure, but did not cross-link with the protein, and the cellulose formed larger irregular regions in the myofibrillar protein gel system. Based on microstructure analysis, the surface of the control group was rough and there were more cavities. When starch and cellulose were added, the composite gel became uniform and compact, and the cavities were reduced. The protein network structure of cellulose group had better uniformity and compactness under the same addition ratio.

The addition of starch and cellulose to myofibrillar protein could improve the water holding capacity, color, texture properties, stress and strain during fracture deformation, rheological properties and microstructure of the composite gel, but cellulose had a more significant improvement effect on the composite gel. Therefore, the application of cellulose as starch substitutes in gelatinous sausage was feasible.