Enhanced functionality through conjugation: structural and functional characterization of chickpea albumin-hydrolyzed...

This study investigated the structural and functional modifications of chickpea albumin (CPA) through conjugation with hydrolyzed guar gum (GG) via the Maillard reaction. CPA-GG conjugates were prepared at different protein-to-polysaccharide ratios (1:1, 1:3, and 3:1) and characterized in terms of solubility, ζ-potential, surface hydrophobicity, secondary structure, and molecular properties. Conjugation-induced structural rearrangements include a reduction in α-helix content (from 35% to 7-9%) and an increase in β-sheet content (from 21% to 45-48%). Conjugation increased the molecular weight of CPA from 137 kDa to 425-708 kDa and rendered the conjugates more conformationally rigid. All conjugates exhibited enhanced emulsifying activity compared with native CPA (0.02 m²/g), with the polysaccharide-rich conjugate (C13) showing the highest value (31.62 m²/g) at pH 6.5 and improved emulsion stability at pH 3.5. This study demonstrates that Maillard conjugation effectively improved the techno-functional properties of CPA.