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Updated: Oct 12, 2025

Designing Silk-silk Protein Alloy Materials for Biomedical Applications
Published on: August 13, 2014
Mechanism of the structural interaction between whey and lentil proteins in the unique creation of a protein
Mohammad Alrosan1,2, Thuan-Chew Tan1, Azhar Mat Easa1
1Food Technology Division, School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Abstract:
Poor solubility is a substantial factor that restricts the production of high value-added lentil proteins (LPs). In this study, whey protein isolates (WPIs), which have high solubility and are used in various food industries, were mixed with LPs at pH 12 to create LP-WPI protein complexes with improved water solubility properties using pH-recycling approach (maintained at pH 12.0 for 60 min and then readjusting to pH 7.0). LP-WPI protein complexes produced in this study have gained high surface charge, increased in the solubilization of protein complexes to ≈92%, as well as improved resistance against protein aggregation. The ratio of LPs to WPIs has a significant effect on the generation of unique tertiary and secondary protein structures based on the protein-protein interaction (PPI) technique via pH-recycling. The protein interaction between LPs and WPIs resulted in alteration on the surface morphology of the produced protein complexes. This study showed that electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic force, and hydrogen bond appear as major molecular forces in this PPI. The efficacy of the pH-recycling method used in this research indicates that this approach could be a robust approach to enhance the functional properties of food proteins. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The pH-recycling technique is a proven technique for protein complexation in creating novel protein complexes with improved functional properties. Even though lentils are a rich source of plant-based protein, its utilization by food industries is restricted due to the poor water solubility of lentil proteins (LPs). However, by using complexing lentil proteins with whey protein isolates (WPIs), that is, LP-WPI protein complex, was developed. The water solubility of LP-WPI protein complex was significantly higher than LPs, up to approximately 92%. In addition, this could improve the utilization of lentil seeds in food application as an alternative for animal-based proteins.
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