Effect of Mg²⁺ loaded emulsion coagulant on the quality of selenium-enriched tofu

This study investigated the application of emulsion coagulant loaded with Mg²⁺ in the coagulating process of selenium-enriched tofu. The tofu prepared by MgCl₂ was used as the control. The effects of Mg²⁺ release rate on the quality and gel structure of tofu were studied using yield, selenium retention, water change and texture characteristics as evaluation indexes. The results showed that the release rate of Mg²⁺ in the emulsion coagulant had a significant effect on the quality and selenium retention rate of selenium-enriched tofu. In comparison to common MgCl₂ tofu, Under 8 000 r/min, the pores of selenium-enriched tofu were significantly reduced, the gel network was more uniform and dense, the water content was increased by 6.42%, the yield was increased by 26.80%, and the selenium retention rate was increased by 10.70%. Under 6 000 r/min, although the moisture content, yield and selenium retention rate of selenium-enriched tofu increased by 19.25%, 56.18% and 44.64%, respectively, the appearance structure was soft and collapsed, the gel strength was poor, and the hardness, dehydration rate decreased by 45.78% and 51.06%. When the release condition is faster than 10 000 r/min, production, moisture content, texture and selenium retention rate of selenium-enriched tofu were not significantly improved. These findings are expected to realize the application of emulsion coagulant in the solidification process of tofu and providing a theoretical basis for the industrial production of selenium-rich tofu.