Breaking barriers: Elevating legume protein functionality in food products through non-thermal technologies.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Protein Chemistry
• Sustainable Food Systems

Background:

• Legume proteins offer eco-friendly and nutritional advantages over animal proteins.
• However, legume proteins often have poor functional properties and palatability.
• Improving these aspects is crucial for wider food industry adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and compare non-thermal technologies for modifying legume protein functionality.
• To provide insights into how these technologies affect protein structure and behavior.
• To address the gap in comparative studies on non-thermal processing of legume proteins.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature on non-thermal processing of legume proteins.
• Analysis of technologies including high hydrostatic pressure, ultrasound, cold plasma, pulsed electric field, and dynamic high-pressure microjet.
• Examination of effects on protein structure, functional properties, and sensory attributes.

Main Results:

• Non-thermal technologies show significant potential for enhancing legume protein functionality.
• Specific technologies impact protein structure and properties differently.
• Further research is needed for systematic comparison and optimization.

Conclusions:

• Non-thermal processing is a promising strategy to overcome limitations of legume proteins in food applications.
• Understanding technology-specific effects on protein structure is key to successful application.
• This review provides a foundation for selecting appropriate technologies to improve legume protein-based foods.