High-moisture Extrusion of Curdlan: Texture and Structure

High-moisture extrusion is a promising thermomechanical technology extensively employed in manufacturing fibrous meat analogues from plant-based proteins, garnering considerable research attention. However, polysaccharide-based extrusion has been rarely explored. The present study investigates the effects of varying extruder barrel temperatures (130 degrees C-200 degrees C) on the texture and structure of curdlan extrudates, and highlights the formation mechanism. Results showed that the single chain of curdlan aggregates to form triple-helix chains upon extrusion, consequently enhancing the crystallinity, particularly at 170 degrees C. The hardness, chewiness, and mechanical properties improved with increasing barrel temperature. Moreover, barrel temperatures affected the macrostructure, the extrudates maintained intact morphologies except at 160 degrees C due to the melting of curdlan gel as confirmed by the differential scanning calorimetry thermogram. Microstructural analysis revealed that curdlan extrudates transited through three phases: original gel (130 degrees C, 140 degrees C, and 150 degrees C), transition state (160 degrees C), and regenerated gel (170 degrees C, 180 degrees C, 190 degrees C, and 200 degrees C). The steady state of regenerated gel (170 degrees C) exhibited higher crystallinity and smaller fractal dimension, resulting in a more compact and crosslinked gel network. This study elucidates the structure transition of curdlan gel at extremely high temperatures, offering valuable technical insights for developing theories and methods with respect to polysaccharide-based extrusion that may find applications in food-related fields.