The structural characterization, functional properties and interface performance of sesame proteins from different...

Sesame protein of different cultivars exhibits varying functional characteristics, making it challenging to achieve standardization in industrial applications. Therefore, we aimed to identify more suitable sesame protein for industrial processing. This study characterized the composition, structure, interfacial properties, and functional traits of sesame protein of nine cultivars. The study showed that S5 exhibited the highest levels of various amino acids compared to other proteins, along with the strongest antioxidant activity, superior foaming capacity (97.70 %) and the best foam stability (91.00 %). S7 displayed a greater proportion of random coil structures (40.158 %), having the most sulfhydryl (SH) groups, facilitating its diffusion at the oil-water interface (K_diff 0.1181 ± 0.0009). PCA analysis indicated that H₀ was significantly negatively correlated with DPPH radical scavenging rates (p < 0.05). SH showed significant positive correlations with β-turn structures and Δπ (p < 0.05). Foaming capacity (FC) was significantly positively correlated with π₀ (p < 0.05), while ABTS radical scavenging rates were significantly positively correlated with hydrophobic amino acid (HAA) and aromatic amino acid (AAA) content (p < 0.05). S5 received the highest score (3.46), making it more suitable for processing in the food industry.