Tuning plant protein functionality: from extraction to application

Which plant proteins are suitable for mass production, in taste, functionality and profitability? This question is critical, as the world population is expected to grow above 9 billion people in 2050 and the demand for high nutritional foods and proteins will increase. Common issues with commercial plant proteins are their low solubility and off-taste. NIZO studied these issues and created new opportunities with green pea proteins.

Understanding the behaviour of plant proteins & solving solubility issues

To find a profitable way of producing (extracting and drying) plant proteins, it is crucial to understand their behaviour. The problem with many commercial plant protein ingredients is that often they exhibit a low solubility. NIZO has studied -and solved- this issue in protein extraction from green peas (Pisum sativa).

Research on pea proteins

Crucial in the development of the extraction process was the possibility for up-scaling to pilot and industrial scale. Based on NIZO expertise, the spray-drying conditions were optimized for the time-temperature conditions resulting in highly functional plant protein powder, both in terms of powder characteristics and solubility. Pea protein isolates with a protein on dry matter content of over 90% were obtained.

The results

The results showed:

• Stable functionalities. The ‘native’ state of the protein is preserved after spray-drying as can be seen from the enthalpy values, which are very similar to the one obtained after freeze-drying.
• Better solubility. The solubility of the protein powders (even after 6 months storage at ambient temperature) remained high (>90% of the total amount of proteins).
• Improved taste. The optimised extraction and drying process did not only affect the degree of denaturation and solubility of the pea protein powder, but also had a remarkable positive impact on the flavour/taste profile.