The effect of salt on the rheology and texture of a casein based ingredient intended to replace gluten

A production protocol for an aggregated casein mass has been developed and the effect of NaCl concentration on the yield, texture, and rheology has been evaluated. Concentrations of NaCl up to 20mM lead to greater yield however, higher concentrations were detrimental. A similar pattern was observed for adhesiveness, one of the texture profile parameters measured. Other parameters such as hardness, cohesiveness, work and gumminess could only differentiate the 30mM NaCl-containing aggregate, but for concentrations 0-20mM differences were not significant. Small deformation rheological testing confirmed that excess salt had a weakening effect on the aggregated casein mass. Comparison of the aggregated casein ingredient with gluten revealed a very different behaviour upon heating. Gluten remained relatively unaffected while the aggregated casein masses became more viscous with increasing temperature, since the effect of heating was much greater on the elastic modulus than on the viscous.