Self-diffusion coefficient of water in tofu determined by pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance.

The self-diffusion coefficient of water in soybean protein dispersion and tofu was measured by pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR. A soy protein isolate (SPI) dispersion (6 and 12%, w/w) in water, calcium cross-linked precipitate, and tofu were used for comparison. The self-diffusion coefficient of water (D) in the SPI dispersion, 2.23 x 10(-9) m2/s, was estimated lower than that of free water, 2.6 x 10(-9) m2/s at 25 degrees C, and decreased as the SPI concentration increased. It further decreased by the addition of calcium chloride, reflecting the obstruction effect induced by the precipitates in addition to the hydration and hydrodynamic interaction in the protein dispersion. The two water regions in tofu were interpreted by the two-site Kärger model: D1 and D2 of soft tofu were 2.26 (+/-0.11) x 10(-9) and 6.84 (+/-0.34) x 10(-11) m2/s, respectively. The relative amount of proton (water) was p1 = 0.98 and p2 = 0.02 at 100 ms of diffusion time. The self-diffusion coefficients of water decreased in pressed tofu, and their relative amounts of water changed to p1 = 0.93 and p2 = 0.07. It was suggested that D1 corresponded to obstructed water in the network structure and D2 corresponded to hydrated water on the surface layer of pores formed in the protein network of tofu. The pore sizes estimated from the diffusion length of obstructed water were 21.3 microm in soft tofu and 20.8 microm in pressed tofu. The removal of fat from pressed tofu led to a decrease in D2 from 6.26 (+/-0.31) x 10(-11) to 3.53 (+/-0.18) x 10(-11) m2/s, and the relative amount of hydrated water increased from 0.07 to 0.14, which indicated hydrophobic hydration.