Preparation and characterization of soy protein isolate films by pretreatment with cysteine

The effect of cysteine concentration on the viscosity of soy protein isolate (SPI)-based film-forming solution (FFS) and physicochemical properties of SPI films was investigated. The apparent viscosity of FFS decreased after adding 1 mmol/L cysteine but did not change after adding 2–8 mmol/L cysteine. After treatment with 1 mmol/L cysteine, the film solubility decreased from 70.40% to 57.60%, but the other physical properties did not change. The water vapor permeability and contact angle of SPI films increased as cysteine concentration increased from 4 mmol/L to 8 mmol/L, whereas the film elongation at break decreased. Based on scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction results, cysteine crystallization could be aggregated on the surface of SPI films treated with 4 or 8 mmol/L cysteine. In conclusion, pretreatment with approximately 2 mmol/L cysteine could reduce the viscosity of SPI-based FFS, but did not change the physicochemical properties of SPI films.