Preparation of dispersible corn protein/quinoa protein/pectin heteroprotein nanoparticles by a one-pot antisolvent...

Poor water solubility, imbalanced amino acid composition, and unpleasant odor restrict the application of protein in corn gluten meal (CGM). A one-pot antisolvent evaporation method was proposed to yield water-dispersible and nutritional corn protein heteroprotein nanoparticles with quinoa protein isolate and low-methoxyl pectin (LMP).

Sunflower head pectin (SHP) was the optimum LMP species and mixture pH 7.0, evaporation temperature 50 °C, and initial total solid concentration 8.0 g kg^-1 yielded homogeneous nanoparticle dispersions; furthermore, the addition of 1.0 g kg^-1 hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin effectively masked the undesirable odor without affecting the formation of corn protein/quinoa protein/SHP heteroprotein nanoparticles (CD-CQP-HNPs). The suspension could be spray-dried to yield mild yellow powders with a protein content of 75.36% and particle size of 421.83 nm. The nanoparticles were spheric with dents on their surfaces and SHP distributed across the nanoparticles instead of a core-shell structure. CD-CQP-HNPs exhibited improved essential amino acid index of 0.87 compared with 0.84 of CGM and excellent dispersibility as evidenced by a contact angle of 34.5°, wetting time of 43.58 s, and solubility of 90%. The nanoparticle suspension could be stored at 4 °C for 3 days, 25 °C for 1 day, or in 0.2 mol L^-1 NaCl (pH 3.0-7.0, 20-50 °C) for 3 h without visible aggregation.

The current one-pot procedure could yield corn protein heteroprotein nanoparticles with good water dispersibility and improved amino acid composition by simple rotatory evaporation and spray drying and have potential in the industrial utilization of CGM. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.