Thermal gelation and microstructural properties of myofibrillar protein gel with the incorporation of regenerated cellulose

•Concentrations of RC emulsions were added to enhance the functionality of MP gel.•Addition of RC emulsion concentration strongly affected WHC and texture of MP.•RC emulsion increased protein network formation during thermal rheology.

The aim of this study was to evaluate water holding capacity, texture, rheological properties and microstructure of myofibrillar protein (MP) gel with the addition of regenerated cellulose (RC) during the heat-induced process. Control samples had the lowest water holding capacity and a disordered microstructure compared to MP-RC emulsion composite gel (P < 0.05). Increasing the concentration of stable RC emulsions from 0% to 30% significantly improved the water holding capacity and enhanced the viscoelastic properties of MP composite gel during heat induced process. In addition, the three-dimensional network structure was more uniform and compact for samples prepared with stable RC emulsion. Consequently, significantly higher hardness was found in MP composite gel (P < 0.05). These findings show that stable RC emulsion could be used as additives to enhance microstructure, texture and functional quality of meat products.