Tailoring liver protein structure with physical fields to enhance emulsified pork sausage quality: A comparative study of ultrasonication and ultra-high pressure treatments.

Abstract

This study compared the effects of ultrasonic (US) and ultra-high pressure (UHP) treatments at varying intensities on the multi-scale structure and physicochemical properties of goat liver protein (GLP), and evaluated their potential to enhance emulsified pork sausage quality. US treatment at two selected durations (600 W, 20 kHz, 2 and 15 min) induced different structural and functional responses in GLP, including partial protein unfolding, exposure of sulfhydryl and hydrophobic groups, and moderate oxidation. UHP treatment elicited distinct pressure-level-dependent differences in volumetric compression and conformational rearrangement between the selected pressure levels. Moderate UHP improved water retention, heating stability, and gel network formation, whereas extreme pressure caused excessive aggregation, leading to less favorable instrumental texture parameters and electronic-nose response patterns. Comparative analysis revealed that US primarily enhanced dynamic structure-function coupling, while UHP optimized structural stability and processing performance. These findings elucidate distinct mechanistic pathways for US and UHP in protein modification and provide guidance for non-thermal strategies to improve protein functionality and meat product quality.