Research Progress in Effect of Freezing Treatment on Gelation and Emulsification Properties of Soy Protein and Improvement of Its Freezing Stability

Soy protein, as one of the major plant proteins, has good functional properties such as solubility, emulsification and gelation properties. Freezing, as one of the effective ways to extend the storage period of products, is widely used in the food and medicine industries. However, freezing can cause changes in the secondary and tertiary structures of soy protein and further affect the functional properties of soy protein such as emulsification and gelation properties, limiting the application of soy protein in frozen foods. At present, understanding the effect of freezing on soy protein and improving its freezing stability has become a research focus, and several methods such as ultrasound, glycosylation and enzymatic crosslinking have been adopted to improve the freezing stability of soy protein. In order to gain a better understanding of the effect of freezing on functional properties of soy protein, this article focuses on the effect of freezing on the emulsification and gelation properties and structure of soy protein, and it summarizes and analyzes the methods used to improve the freezing stability of soy protein products and their mechanisms in order to provide a theoretical basis for the application of soy protein in frozen foods and the improvement of food quality.