What Is Coagulation?Coagulation is the change in state from a solution (ie having the characteristics of a liquid) to a gel (ie having the characteristics of a solid). This occurs in liquid foods which contain proteins because the shape of the globular polypeptide molecules change when the liquid is heated. The energy supplied to the molecules by the heat causes the bonds which link different parts of the chain to break,
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.resulting in a change in the protein structure. Because the protein changes from its state in nature, this process is called denaturation. Other bonds then form as a second process called coagulation occurs - the protein eventually becomes a three-dimensional network of molecules within which water is trapped. At this stage the food has solid characteristics: it has coagulated.
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