Effects of ultrasound-assisted enzyme hydrolysis on the microstructure and physicochemical properties of okara fibers.

This work focuses on the effects of different ultrasound power densities on the microstructural changes and physicochemical properties of okara fibers, which are composed of carbohydrate-based polymers. Okara suspensions were treated with ultrasound at different power densities (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 W/mL) for 30 min, after which the ultrasound-treated okara were hydrolyzed by trypsin to obtain okara fibers. The ultrasound treatment of the okara fibers induced structural disorganization and changes, evidenced mainly in their morphological characteristics and their relative crystallinity degrees. Increasing the ultrasound power broke the okara fibers into flaky and stacked structures. When the ultrasound power density reached 4 W/mL, the parenchyma became compact and the hourglass structure fractured. The mean particle size of the okara fiber was reduced from 82.24 µm to 53.96 µm, and the homogeneity was enhanced significantly. The relative crystallinity of the okara fibers was reduced from 55.14% to 36.47%. The okara fiber surface charge decreased when the ultrasound power was increased. However, after ultrasound treatment at 4 W/mL (800 W), the okara fiber suspension exhibited the highest viscosity value and a higher swelling capacity, water-holding capacity, and oil-holding capacity. Therefore, the results indicated that the selection of processing conditions for okara fibers is critical and that okara fiber modification using a high ultrasound treatment might improve their use in potential applications.