Application of emerging technologies to obtain legume protein isolates with improved techno-functional properties and health effects

Use of supercritical CO2 to improve the quality of lupin protein isolate

Lupins are an excellent source of protein which can be used to obtain protein isolates with potential use in the food industry. Some studies use supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) to defat legume flours, but no study analyzes the effect of applying this technology directly to the protein isolate. This article has proposed the use of SC-CO2 to improve lupin protein isolate (LPI) quality. SC-CO2 increased the LPI purity while reducing oil and other antitechnological factors (saponins and polyphenols). The treatment significantly improved the LPI color due to the elimination of the lipid fraction and lipophilic pigments (carotenoids). No changes in amino acid contents or chemical score were observed due to the SC-CO2. Finally, the treatment improved or did not affect the main LPI technofunctional properties. Therefore, SC-CO2 is a promising technique to enhance the quality of protein isolates, without affecting or improving their functional properties.

Extraction, Modification, Biofunctionality, and Food Applications of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Protein: An Up-to-Date Review

Plant-based proteins have gained popularity in the food industry as a good protein source. Among these, chickpea protein has gained significant attention in recent times due to its high yields, high nutritional content, and health benefits. With an abundance of essential amino acids, particularly lysine, and a highly digestible indispensable amino acid score of 76 (DIAAS), chickpea protein is considered a substitute for animal proteins. However, the application of chickpea protein in food products is limited due to its poor functional properties, such as solubility, water-holding capacity, and emulsifying and gelling properties. To overcome these limitations, various modification methods, including physical, biological, chemical, and a combination of these, have been applied to enhance the functional properties of chickpea protein and expand its applications in healthy food products. Therefore, this review aims to comprehensively examine recent advances in Cicer arietinum (chickpea) protein extraction techniques, characterizing its properties, exploring post-modification strategies, and assessing its diverse applications in the food industry. Moreover, we reviewed the nutritional benefits and sustainability implications, along with addressing regulatory considerations. This review intends to provide insights into maximizing the potential of Cicer arietinum protein in diverse applications while ensuring sustainability and compliance with regulations.

Mung bean protein as an emerging source of plant protein: a review on production methods, functional properties, modifications and its potential applications

Plant protein is rapidly becoming more of a prime interest to consumers for its nutritional and functional properties, as well as the potential to replace animal protein. In the frame of alternative protein new sources, mung bean is becoming another legume crop that could provide high quality plant protein after soybean and pea. In particular, the 8S globulins in mung bean protein have high structural similarity and homology with soybean β-conglycinin (7S globulin), with 68% sequence identity. Currently, mung bean protein has gained popularity in food industry because of its high nutritional value and peculiar functional properties. In that regard, various modification technologies have been applied to further broaden its application. Here, we provide a review of the composition, nutritional value, production methods, functional properties and modification technologies of mung bean protein. Furthermore, its potential applications in the new plant-based products, meat products, noodles, edible packaging films and bioactive compound carriers are highlighted to facilitate its utilization as an alternative plant protein, thus meeting consumer demands for high quality plant protein resources. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Global Food Security and Sustainability Issues: The Road to 2030 from Nutrition and Sustainable Healthy Diets to Food Systems Change

The accomplishment of food/nutrition security for all across sustainable food systems (SFS) is tied to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SFS is connected to all SDGs via the traditional framework of social inclusion, economic development, environmental safety, inclusivity, and the development of sustainable food systems. We suggest that, for the world to achieve sustainable development, a shift to SFS is necessary to guarantee food/nutrition security for all, while operating within planetary boundaries to protect ecosystems and adapt to and mitigate climate change. Therefore, there is a requirement for original approaches that implement systemic and more participatory methods to engage with a wider range of food system stakeholders. However, the lack of skills and tools regarding novel methodologies for food system transformation is a key obstacle to the deployment of such approaches in practice. In the first part of this review, a summary of some challenges that occur in the governance of food system transformation is given. Through a case study of plant-based proteins and their biological and chemical modification as diets shift towards alternative proteins, we demonstrate that resource-efficient food systems and food waste, through system transformation, are useful in understanding both (i) how food system transformation has ensued and (ii) how the required transformation is prohibited. Finally, we discuss the implications of food system transformation in terms of nutrition and sustainable healthy diets, which are needed to achieve changes in food safety systems in the future. The linkage of food and the environment is evident, focusing on nutrition and sustainable healthy diets. This cannot be accomplished without system change and research towards new foods and, more specifically, new proteins such as plant-based ones and their biological and chemical modification.

Enhancing the Techno-Functional Properties of Lentil Protein Isolate Dispersions Using In-Line High-Shear Rotor-Stator Mixing

In response to global challenges such as climate change and food insecurity, plant proteins have gained interest. Among these, lentils have emerged as a promising source of proteins due to their good nutritional profile and sustainability considerations. However, their widespread use in food products has been impeded by limited solubility. This study aimed to investigate the potential of high-shear mixing, a resource-efficient technique, to enhance lentil protein solubility and its functional properties. Red lentil protein isolate powders were rehydrated and subjected to a semi-continuous in-line high-shear treatment at 10,200 rpm for a timespan ranging from 0 to 15 min. The results highlighted a significant (p < 0.05) increase in solubility from 46.87 to 68.42% after 15 min of shearing and a reduction in particle size as a result of the intense shearing and disruption provided by the rotor and forced passage through the perforations of the stator. The volume-weighted mean diameter decreased from 5.13 to 1.72 µm after 15 min of shearing, also highlighted by the confocal micrographs which confirmed the breakdown of larger particles into smaller and more uniform particles. Rheological analysis indicated consistent Newtonian behaviour across all dispersions, with apparent viscosities ranging from 1.69 to 1.78 mPa.s. Surface hydrophobicity increased significantly (p < 0.05), from 830 to 1245, indicating exposure of otherwise buried hydrophobic groups. Furthermore, colloidal stability of the dispersion was improved, with separation rates decreasing from 71.23 to 24.16%·h-1. The significant enhancements in solubility, particle size reduction, and colloidal stability, highlight the potential of in-line high-shear mixing in improving the functional properties of lentil protein isolates for formulating sustainable food products with enhanced techno-functional properties.

Plant-based proteins: advanced extraction technologies, interactions, physicochemical and functional properties, food and related applications, and health benefits

Even though plant proteins are more plentiful and affordable than animal proteins in comparison, direct usage of plant-based proteins (PBPs) is still limited because PBPs are fed to animals as feed to produce animal-based proteins. Thus, this work has comprehensively reviewed the effects of various factors such as pH, temperature, pressure, and ionic strength on PBP properties, as well as describes the protein interactions, and extraction methods to know the optimal conditions for preparing PBP-based products with high functional properties and health benefits. According to the cited studies in the current work, the environmental factors, particularly pH and ionic strength significantly affected on physicochemical and functional properties of PBPs, especially solubility was 76.0% to 83.9% at pH = 2, while at pH = 5.0 reduced from 5.3% to 9.6%, emulsifying ability was the lowest at pH = 5.8 and the highest at pH 8.0, and foaming capacity was lowest at pH 5.0 and the highest at pH = 7.0. Electrostatic interactions are the main way for protein interactions, which can be used to create protein/polysaccharide complexes for food industrial purposes. The extraction yield of proteins can be reached up to 86-95% with high functional properties using sustainable and efficient routes, including enzymatic, ultrasound-, microwave-, pulsed electric field-, and high-pressure-assisted extraction. Nondairy alternative products, especially yogurt, 3D food printing and meat analogs, synthesis of nanoparticles, and bioplastics and packaging films are the best available PBPs-based products. Moreover, PBPs particularly those that contain pigments and their products showed good bioactivities, especially antioxidants, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial.

Optimization and Characterization of Lupin Protein Isolate Obtained Using Alkaline Solubilization-Isoelectric Precipitation

The trend in today's society is to increase the intake of vegetable protein instead of animal protein. Therefore, there is a concern to find new sources of alternative protein. In this sense, legumes are the main protein source of vegetable origin. Of all of them, lupins are the ones with higher protein content, although they are currently undervalued as an alternative for human consumption. In this sense, it is vital to characterize and obtain protein isolates from this legume, which satisfies the growing demand. Therefore, in the present work, the procedure for obtaining a lupin (Lupinus luteus) protein isolate (LPI), based on basic solubilization followed by isoelectric precipitation, has been optimized and validated. The optimized LPI, as well as the lupin flour, were subsequently characterized. The chemical composition, physicochemical, as well as the technofunctional properties of the LPI were analyzed. The results show that the proposed procedure had a high yield (23.19 g LPI/100 g flour) and allowed to obtain high-purity protein isolates (87.7 g protein/100 g LPI). The amino acid composition and the chemical scores show high proportions of essential amino acids, being protein deficient only in methionine and valine. Therefore, it can be affirmed that it is a high-quality protein that meets the requirements proposed by the FAO. Regarding the lipid fraction, it is mainly composed of unsaturated fatty acids (C18:1n-9 and C18:2n-6), which is also advisable in order to follow a healthy diet. Finally, LPI showed interesting technofunctional properties (foaming, gelling, emulsifying, water and oil absorption, and solubility), which makes it especially attractive for use in the food industry.

Comparison of protein quality and digestibility between plant-based and meat-based burgers

Nowadays, consumers are increasingly inclined toward plant-based meat analogues for sake of food security, safety, and sustainability. This growing interest, not only from consumers but also from food companies, brought the offer on the market to be wide and vast. From our previous study it emerged that the market supply, especially the Italian one, is diversified both in terms of protein sources and nutrient content. Although these products are increasingly consumed, for most of the meat analogues today on the market, little is still known about their actual protein quality and digestibility. To fill this gap, in this study different commercial plant-based burgers (2 soy-based and 2 pea-based) were selected and compared to two beef burgers, as controls, in terms of protein quality and digestibility. The findings of this study demonstrated the essential amino acidic profile lacks lysine for almost all burgers (including the meat-based ones) compared to the amino acid scoring pattern set by FAO/WHO (for older children and adults), even if the sum of essential amino acids was within the range of sufficiency. All samples showed good initial protein integrity with low hydrolysis (above 6%) and percentage of D-enantiomers (above 15%). The study of the digestibility, performed by the validated INFOGEST in vitro model, showed better protein solubilisation in the case of meat burgers (63 ± 3% and 61 ± 8%), but a good digestibility also in the case of plant-based ones (from 55% to 40%). The degree of hydrolysis of the solubilised proteins was very high in all samples (from 65% to 40%) indicating a very good protein accessibility to digestive enzymes. The analysis of the peptide fraction of digestates indicated a high prevalence of collagen proteins in beef burgers and of reserve proteins in plant-based burgers. This study showed that the differences between these products are mostly dependent on the quality of the raw materials used, rather than on the vegetal or animal protein source. Therefore, to have a product with a good protein quality and digestibility, independently from the protein origin, the consumer needs to make an accurate choice, carefully reading the ingredient list.

Role of Enzymatic Reactions in Meat Processing and Use of Emerging Technologies for Process Intensification

Meat processing involves different transformations in the animal muscle after slaughtering, which results in changes in tenderness, aroma and colour, determining the quality of the final meat product. Enzymatic glycolysis, proteolysis and lipolysis play a key role in the conversion of muscle into meat. The accurate control of enzymatic reactions in meat muscle is complicated due to the numerous influential factors, as well as its low reaction rate. Moreover, exogenous enzymes are also used in the meat industry to produce restructured products (transglutaminase), to obtain bioactive peptides (peptides with antioxidant, antihypertensive and gastrointestinal activity) and to promote meat tenderization (papain, bromelain, ficin, zingibain, cucumisin and actinidin). Emerging technologies, such as ultrasound (US), pulsed electric fields (PEF), moderate electric fields (MEF), high-pressure processing (HPP) or supercritical CO₂ (SC-CO₂), have been used to intensify enzymatic reactions in different food applications. This review aims to provide an overview of the enzymatic reactions taking place during the processing of meat products, how they could be intensified by using emerging technologies and envisage potential applications.

Developments in Plant Proteins Production for Meat and Fish Analogues

In recent years, there have been significant developments in plant proteins production for meat and fish analogues. Some of the key developments include the use of new plant protein sources such as soy, legumes, grains, potatoes, and seaweed, as well as insect proteins, leaf proteins, mushrooms, and microbial proteins. Furthermore, to improve the technological and functional properties of plant proteins, they can be subjected to traditional and unconventional treatments such as chemical (glycosylation, deamidation, phosphorylation, and acylation), physical (pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, high hydrostatic pressure, dynamic high-pressure treatment, and cold plasma), and biological (fermentation and enzymatic modification). To obtain the high quality and the desired texture of the food product, other ingredients besides proteins, such as water, fat, flavors, binders, dyes, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, also have to be used. The final product can be significantly influenced by the matrix composition, variety of ingredients, and water content, with the type of ingredients playing a role in either enhancing or constraining the desired texture of the food. There are several types of technologies used for meat and fish analogues production, including extrusion, shear cell technology, spinning, 3D printing, and others. Overall, the technologies used for meat and fish analogues production are constantly evolving as new innovations are developed and existing methods are improved. These developments have led to the creation of plant-based products that have a similar texture, taste, and nutritional profile to meat and fish, making them more appealing to consumers seeking alternatives to animal-based products.

Screening of Acrylamide Content in Commercial Plant-Based Protein Ingredients from Different Technologies

The demand of plant-based protein ingredients (PBPIs) in the food sector has strongly increased over recent years. These ingredients are produced under a wide range of technological processes that impact their final characteristics. This work aimed to evaluate acrylamide contamination in a range of PBPIs produced with different technologies and classified into four categories i.e., flours, dry-fractionated proteins, wet-extracted proteins, and texturized vegetable proteins. The results highlighted a remarkable variability in the acrylamide contamination in all the classes under investigation, with the flours showing the lowest mean acrylamide content (280 µg kg^-1) compared with the wet-extracted proteins that showed the highest (451 µg kg^-1). These differences could likely be associated with the different processing technologies used to obtain the protein ingredients. These findings suggest the need to monitor acrylamide formation during the processing of PBPIs and, consequently, to study mitigation strategies when necessary.

Effect of Total Replacement of Soya Bean Meal by Whole Lupine Seeds and of Gender on the Meat Quality and Fatty Acids Profile of Growing Rabbits

In Europe, the most appropriate strategy to replace soybean meal (SBM) in animal feed has been the development of diets containing locally produced protein sources. One of these sources is lupine (Lupinus spp.). The effect of the total substitution of SBM by white lupine (WL) and yellow lupine (YL) seeds in the diets of growing rabbits and of gender on meat quality and the fatty acids (FA) profile were evaluated. Sixty hybrid weaned rabbits (New Zealand × Californian) (20 rabbits per diet), were fed diets that contained 150 g/kg of SBM (SBMD) and WL (WLD) or YL (YLD) for 35 to 69 days. At the end of this period, 30 rabbits (10 rabbits per diet) were slaughtered to evaluate the carcass and meat characteristics and the FA profile of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle. In general, the carcass and meat characteristics (pH and colour) were not affected (p > 0.05) by diet or gender. Further, there was no observed effect (p > 0.05) of gender on meat FA and on the calculated indexes related to human health. However, diet had an effect (p < 0.05) on the FA profile, FA categories, and calculated indexes related to human health. The meat from rabbits fed SBMD presented higher (p < 0.05) saturated FA (SFA; 44 vs. 39 g/100 g average on lupine diets) and lower (p < 0.05) polyunsaturated FA (PUFA; 24 vs. 28 g/100 g average on lupine diets). Our results showed that SBM may be completely replaced by WL or YL, improving the quality of LD muscle FA in terms of nutritional quality for humans.