The Role of Ohmic Heating in Tailoring Pea Protein Functionality

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Protein Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry

Background:

• Plant-derived proteins are increasingly used as alternatives to animal proteins in food.
• Commercial plant protein ingredients often have limited functionality due to processing-induced modifications.
• Pea protein (PP) is a popular plant protein source with potential for functional food applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate ohmic heating (OH) as a physical modification method to enhance the functionality of commercial pea protein (PP).
• To assess the impact of OH on the physicochemical, foaming, emulsifying, and gelling properties of PP.

Main Methods:

• Pea protein dispersions were treated with ohmic heating (OH) at 100 °C, 130 °C, and 150 °C.
• Physicochemical properties, including particle size, were measured.
• Foaming, emulsifying, and gelling properties were assessed using standard methods.
• Rheological behavior of gels was analyzed.

Main Results:

• OH significantly reduced PP particle size, with higher temperatures causing greater reduction.
• Foaming capacity increased by approximately 40% after OH treatment, with stable foams.
• Emulsifying activity was not substantially enhanced by OH.
• OH-treated PP formed softer, more homogeneous cold-set gels with lower complex modulus values compared to untreated PP.

Conclusions:

• Ohmic heating is an effective physical modification strategy to enhance the functional properties of commercial pea protein.
• OH improves PP foaming performance and modulates gel structure, making it suitable for novel plant-based food product development.