Designing sustained-release sodium carriers: Oil-modified starch gels enhance the texture and delay sodium release in low-sodium shrimp protein gels.

This study developed an oil-modified starch gel (OMSGs) as delivery system to modulate texture and control sodium release in low-sodium shrimp myofibrillar protein (SMP) gels. OMSGs prepared with 1% oil and 100 mg/mL starch formed a dense network with high water-holding capacity and gel strength. OMSGs containing varying NaCl (5-20%), denoted OMSGs-Na, were blended with SMP at a 10:1 ratio to obtain OMSGs-Na-SMP composites. Among these, the OMSGs-Na (15%, equivalent to 1.19% NaCl in SMP) exhibited uniform and dense microstructure, effectively delaying sodium ion release during simulated oral digestion (30 s). Its gel hardness (381.00 g), chewiness (214.38 g), and whiteness (52.97) matched those of SMP gels with 20% direct NaCl addition (1.52% in SMP). Rheological analysis further confirmed that viscoelastic properties were comparably enhanced to the high-salt control. This carrier system offers a novel strategy to overcome texture deterioration and insufficient saltiness perception in low-sodium aquatic gel products.