Effect of three cations on the stability and microstructure of protein aggregate from duck egg white under alkaline condition.

Pidan (alkaline egg) has been consumed widely in oriental countries and lead, a toxic element, has been used traditionally to yield the desirable characteristics. For safety concerns, alternative cations can be used for the production of pidan with comparable properties to traditionally prepared pidan. Turbidity measured as absorbance at 400 nm and microstructure of duck egg white proteins at pH 12 as influenced by three cations at various levels were investigated. Turbidity and particle size of egg white protein (20 g/kg) in 10 g/kg NaCl sample with CaCl2, PbO2 or ZnCl2 added at a level of 1 g/kg increased with time up to 1 h, followed by a decrease (p<0.05). Nevertheless, the turbidity was retained more in samples added with PbO2, suggesting high stability of the aggregate formed. Zeta potential showed that the aggregates treated with PbO2 had a comparatively lower negative charge. Light microscopic studies indicated that the aggregation of egg white proteins was induced by ions but varied with the types of ions and incubation time. Therefore, PbO2 exhibited the highest stabilizing effect on egg white protein under alkaline condition. However, ZnCl2 can be used as an alternative compound even if it had lower impact on stability of aggregate of duck egg white protein.