Understanding the relationship between processing conditions and structure-functionality of pulse protein ingredients for food application

AGT食品公司利用各种加工技术（干磨、干分馏和去味）从萨斯喀彻温省的豆类中生产蛋白质浓缩物和分离物。这些分离蛋白用于食品应用，包括各种乳化食品，如沙拉酱、酱料、蛋黄酱等。然而，尽管使用了类似脉冲源的成分，该公司仍面临着最终产品特性不均匀的问题。据推测，脉冲源和制备富含蛋白质成分所涉及的各种技术可能是其功能特性变化的直接原因。为了解决这个问题，并深入了解脉冲处理如何影响蛋白质组分的乳化行为，美国大学的研究人员提出了一项全面的研究，研究脉冲蛋白质的界面和乳化特性，作为各种技术的功能，以及它们在模型食品系统中的应用，如沙拉酱和涂抹酱。干磨、干分馏和去味技术产生具有不同粒度、聚集行为和分子结构的蛋白质。这些特性如何影响蛋白质的功能，特别是界面和乳化行为是本Engage资助申请的重点。利用各种先进的蛋白质结构分析，我们将建立这种现象的机制，这将对AGT食品公司在竞争激烈的脉冲蛋白质成分市场中建立自己的市场领导者和获得全球关注具有巨大的好处。有了这种关于结构-功能关系的先进知识，公司将能够解决现场应用过程中最终产品不均匀的问题，并通过提供增值，健康和可持续的食品成分，为加拿大脉冲行业和加拿大人民带来重大利益。

AGT Foods produces protein concentrates and isolates from Saskatchewan pulses using various processing technologies (dry milling, dry fractionation and de-flavouring). These protein isolates are used in food applications, including various emulsion-based foods, e.g., salad dressings, spreads, mayonnaise, etc. However, the company is facing issues in terms of non-uniformity in the final product characteristics, despite using ingredients from similar pulse sources. It has been hypothesized that the pulse sources and various technologies involved in the preparation of protein-rich ingredients could be directly responsible for the variation in their functional properties. To resolve this problem and develop an in-depth understanding of how pulse processing influences emulsification behaviour of the protein fractions, researchers from U of S proposed a thorough investigation of the interfacial and emulsification properties of the pulse proteins as a function of various technologies along with their application in model food systems, such as salad dressings and spreadables. Dry milling, dry fractionation and de-flavouring technologies yield proteins with various particle size, aggregation behaviour and molecular structure. How these characteristics influence proteins' functionality, especially interfacial and emulsification behaviour is the focus of this Engage grant application. Using various advanced structural analyses of proteins, we will establish the mechanism of the phenomena, which would be of tremendous benefit to AGT Foods to establish themselves as a market leader and to secure global attention in a highly competitive pulse protein ingredient market. With this advanced knowledge on the structure-functional relationship the company would be able to resolve their problem of non-uniformity in final products during on-site applications, and providing significant benefit to Canadian pulse industry and to Canadian people by providing value-added, healthy and sustainable food ingredients.