The Effect of Whey Protein Concentrate Addition on the Gel Properties of Potato Starch and the Quality of Vermicelli

T he quality of vermicelli was deemed dependent on gel characteristics. Alum was traditionally employed to modify gel characteristics for quality enhancement in potato vermicelli products. In this study, whey protein was added to boost the gel characteristics of potato starch, with the goal of improving vermicelli quality. It was observed that the peak viscosity, G', G", swelling characteristics, and dehydration of the potato starch gel were significantly reduced with the addition of whey protein. At the same time, a more continuous and dense honeycomb porous structure was gradually formed in the gel network with whey protein, facilitating a more compact potato starch gel network. The tight accumulation of the potato starch gel network was facilitated by this change. Significant increases were observed in the hardness, cooking loss, and water holding capacity of the vermicelli with the addition of whey protein. The swelling characteristics of the vermicelli gradually decreased, leading to a milky yellow color. When the whey protein addition was 4%, the textural and sensory characteristics of the vermicelli were found to be comparable to those of alum-treated vermicelli in overall sensory scores. It was demonstrated in this study that the gel characteristics of potato starch could be enhanced by whey protein, thereby improving the quality of vermicelli.