Egg Flashcards
What are the types of proteins?
- Simple
2. Conjugated/complex proteins: composed of simple protein and non-protein material
What are the types of simple proteins?
- Globular = somewhat rounded in shape
- Ovalbumin in egg whites
- Lactalbumin and lactoglobulin in milk
- Gliadin and glutenin in wheat - Fibrous = coiled or extended in shape
- Collagen and elastin in connective tissue of meat
- Myosin in the muscle of meat
What are the types of complex proteins?
- Phosphoproteins (protein + phosphoric acid)
- Casein proteins in milk - Glycoproteins (protein + carbohydrate)
- Ovomucin in eggs - Lipoproteins (protein + fatty substance)
- Lipoproteins in egg yolks and in whipping cream - Chromoproteins (protein + coloured material)
- Myoglobin in the muscle of meat
What is the protein structure?
- Primary: amino acids linked by peptide bonds (linkage/covalent bond) to form polypeptide chains
- Very strong bonds and cannot be broken by normal cooking methods - Secondary: spring-like coiling of polypeptide chain, usually into an alpha helix
- Eg. simple fibrous proteins - Tertiary: helix folds back on itself to form globular structure
- Eg. simple globular proteins - Quaternary: globular proteins combine with each other or non-protein substance
- Eg. conjugated/complex proteins
What is the isoelectric point?
- Carboxyl group donates H+
- Amino group accepts H+ ions
- The point where amino acid (a protein molecule) no longer has electrical charge
- The like charges of protein are no longer repelling each other, which makes them unstable
- Protein molecules are then attracted to each other and form hydrogen bonds with each other to create larger molecules
- Proteins cannot stay in colloidal dispersion because like charges no longer repel as the proteins grow in size
What are the factors affecting proteins?
- pH - least stable at IEP
- Temperature
- Partially increases due to cooking
- Decreases (freezing) - Mechanical action
- Eg. beating of egg white
What do the factors affecting proteins result in?
Denaturation
Possibly coagulation, or over-coagulation
What is denaturation?
Change from the naturally ordered configuration (shape) of a protein molecule to a more randomly structured molecule
Hydrogen bonds are broken but NOT peptide bonds
What is coagulation?
- New hydrogen bonds at new locations among polypeptide chain (within protein molecule)
- Not reforming the original hydrogen bonds
- Cause is the same or different from cause of denaturation
- Most common cause is heat (continuing heat, initially would cause denaturation)
What is over-coagulation?
Result due to prolonged exposure to:
- pH change (normally a decrease in pH)
- Heat (too high or too long)
- Mechanical action (least likely)
- Polypeptide chains compress together and squeeze out water because excess hydrogen bonds form
- Syneresis occurs in a GEL
- Curdling occurs in a SOL (cannot happen in starch because proteins are having excessive hydrogen bonds)
What are the functional properties of eggs?
- Thickeners - SOL forms
- Gelling agents - GEL forms
- Foaming agents - egg whites only
- Emulsifiers - lecithin in egg yolks only
What are the factors affecting coagulation of egg proteins?
- Temperature
- Egg white proteins: coagulation is 62-65 C, overcoagulation is 70 C
- Egg yolk proteins: coagulation is 65-70 C, overcoagulation is 75 C - Amount (quantity) of egg proteins
- Diluting egg solution with water, milk, or fruit juices in recipes keep egg proteins further apart
- Higher temperature needed for denaturation and coagulation because they are further apart
- A dilute solution results in a less thick SOL or a less firm GEL - Sugar
- Forms hydrogen bonds with egg proteins resulting in a slower rate of denaturation and coagulation
- Results in an increase in coagulation
- Decrease SOL thickness or GEL firmness
- Sugar reduces bonding between the actual egg proteins
- Helps protect against over-coagulation of
egg proteins
- Less chance of curdling in a SOL
- Less chance of syneresis in a GEL - Acids
- Contributes H+ ions which neutralize negative charges around egg protein molecules
- Stablizing factor in eggs is the negative charges repeling
- Egg proteins reach IEP and denature and coagulate faster
- Results in decrease in denaturation and coagulation temperatures (unstable)
How do you prevent over-coagulation?
Generally preventing over-heating is a good method
- Use double boiler (top of stove)
- Use oven poaching (in the oven)
- Keep temperatures higher or equal to boiling temperature (100 C)
What occurs during the storage of eggs?
- Fresh egg broken onto flat plate stands up in rounded form due to viscosity of
thick portion of egg white - As eggs age/deteriorate, amount of thin egg white increases
- Lose moisture which cause air cell between two membranes to enlarge
- Lose carbon dioxide which causes egg white to become alkaline, and thin out
- Egg yolk absorbs water from egg white and yolk membrane stretches
- When broken onto plate, deteriorated egg yolk flattens and whole egg
spreads - Chalazae disintegrates and doesn’t hold yolk in place at the center
- Eggs should be refrigerated to retain quality for 2 weeks
- Kept in original carton to prevent moisture loss and absorption of
odours - Porous shell allows absorption of strong odours (onions, apples, citrus
fruits, cabbage, cheese)
What is the composition of egg yolk?
- ½ water and ½ solid
- Solids are 1/3 protein and 2/3 fat
- Yolk contains lecithin for emulsifying properties
- Contains cholesterol
- No carbohydrate