Abstract Fibrous protein gels have the potential to form the basis for the next-generation of meat analogue. It is suggested that fibre anisotropy is related to air bubbles present in the gel. Given the complexity and heterogeneity of the samples, several quantitative techniques are needed to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the air bubbles. We performed neutron refraction experiments to study the size and shape of the air bubbles in three calcium caseinate samples containing different H2O to D2O ratios. Refractive microscopy and X-ray tomography (XRT) analysis were done on the same samples to provide complementary information. The deformation degree and average width of the air bubbles were obtained from both the XRT and neutron refraction experiment. A neutron refraction model calculates the average area and volume of a single air bubble, which correspond to the largest area and volume fractions of all the air bubbles from the XRT analysis. Additionally, we found that the H2O to D2O ratios in the sample largely influence the size, number distribution and deformation degree of the air bubbles. The neutron refraction technique can be a simple and complementary method to help understanding the role of air bubbles in the meat analogue.

中文翻译：

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通过中子折射、X 射线断层扫描和折射显微镜研究纤维状酪蛋白酸盐凝胶中的气泡

摘要 纤维蛋白凝胶有可能成为下一代人造肉的基础。建议纤维各向异性与凝胶中存在的气泡有关。鉴于样品的复杂性和异质性，需要多种定量技术来确保对气泡的全面了解。我们进行了中子折射实验，以研究含有不同 H2O 与 D2O 比率的三个酪蛋白酸钙样品中气泡的大小和形状。对相同样品进行折射显微镜和 X 射线断层扫描 (XRT) 分析以提供补充信息。气泡的变形程度和平均宽度由 XRT 和中子折射实验获得。中子折射模型计算单个气泡的平均面积和体积，这对应于 XRT 分析中所有气泡的最大面积和体积分数。此外，我们发现样品中 H2O 与 D2O 的比例在很大程度上影响气泡的大小、数量分布和变形程度。中子折射技术是一种简单的补充方法，有助于理解气泡在人造肉中的作用。