Modification of plant proteins for improved functionality: A review.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Protein Chemistry
• Sustainable Food Systems

Background:

• Growing consumer demand for plant-based proteins driven by sustainability, health, and lifestyle changes.
• Need for plant-derived protein ingredients with functionality comparable or superior to animal proteins.
• Challenges in achieving desired texture, solubility, and emulsification in plant proteins.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize processing techniques for enhancing plant protein ingredient functionality.
• To elucidate the chemical and physical modifications underlying improved protein functionality.
• To catalog various studies addressing functionality challenges of specific plant-based proteins.

Main Methods:

• Review of traditional and emerging physical, chemical, and biological processing techniques.
• Analysis of studies focusing on selected plant protein ingredients.
• Elucidation of the chemistry behind processing-induced structural modifications.

Main Results:

• Physical and biological processing methods are increasingly favored over chemical modifications for clean-label products.
• Techniques like texturization, hydrolysis, and isolation yield functional ingredients such as texturized vegetable proteins and protein isolates.
• Specific processing approaches are detailed, highlighting their impact on protein structure and functionality.

Conclusions:

• Physical and biological processing are key to developing high-functionality plant-based protein ingredients.
• The shift towards clean-label solutions favors non-chemical modification techniques.
• Further research into optimizing these methods is crucial for meeting market demands for advanced plant proteins.