Study of plant protein aggregation to yield new functional properties

植物蛋白由于其可持续性、生物降解性和功能性以及其高营养价值而越来越多地用于食品和非食品领域。尽管人们对植物蛋白用于创造新的食品和生物材料（例如乳液，泡沫，凝胶）非常感兴趣，但其功能的分子基础仍然很不清楚。我的计划的长期目标是不断扩大我们对植物蛋白质的结构-功能关系的基本理解，并将这些知识应用于开发更健康的食品和生物材料。短期目标侧重于研究植物蛋白质聚集以产生新的功能特性。将选择来自豆类和燕麦的球蛋白作为模型。 球蛋白通常形成具有不同形态的三种类型的聚集体：原纤维、球形颗粒和股。使用具有良好表征结构的特定蛋白质聚集体来产生功能性是新的，并且已经吸引了科学兴趣。例如，细长形态允许原纤维以低体积产生空间填充网络，使其成为有利的增稠和胶凝成分。聚集体形态在很大程度上决定了其功能。为了获得最佳功能，需要控制聚集过程以靶向特定形态;如果理解聚集机制，则可以做到这一点。因此，特别是在这项研究中，我们的目标是了解植物球蛋白聚集机制在控制聚集体形态方面的作用。然后，我们将研究不同形态的聚集体如何被用来创造新的功能，重点是皮克林乳液和纤维/乳化凝胶。随后，这些乳液和凝胶将被转化为生物活性分子的天然递送系统，以提高其稳定性，并在小肠中控制释放，以更好地吸收或有益于健康。 通过这项研究获得的知识将代表食品工业的一个变革性工具，以开发具有上级质量的乳液和凝胶食品，具有更好的特性，如延长的保质期或更好的感官特性。这些工具还将使该行业能够将生物活性分子（例如-3，叶黄素，酶）定制为新型功能性食品，以降低慢性疾病的风险并改善公众健康。这些成果也将使制药、个人护理和生物制品行业受益，这些行业也需要天然和可持续的植物来源。从农业的角度来看，燕麦和豆类生产代表了加拿大的关键和主要农业部门。拟议的研究将为燕麦和豆类蛋白质创造新的增值机会，从而提高加拿大生产商和加工商的盈利能力和可持续性。

Plant proteins are increasingly used in food and non-food areas owing to their sustainability, biodegradability and functionality in addition to their high nutritive value. Despite the great interest in plant proteins for creating new foods and biomaterials (e.g. emulsions, foams, gels), the molecular basis of their functionality is still far from clear. The long-term goal of my program is to continuously expand our basic understanding of the structure-function relationships of plant proteins and to apply this knowledge to develop healthier foods and biomaterials. The short-term goal focuses on study of plant protein aggregation to yield new functional properties. Globulin proteins from pulses and oats will be selected as models. Globulin proteins generally form three types of aggregates with distinct morphologies: fibrils, spherical particles and strands. The use of specific protein aggregates with well characterized structures to create functionality is new and has attracted scientific interests. For example, the elongated morphology allows fibrils to create a space filling network at low volume, making them advantageous thickening and gelling ingredients. Aggregate morphology largely determines its functionality. For optimal functionality the aggregation process needs to be controlled to target specific morphology; this can be done if the aggregation mechanisms are understood. Therefore, specifically in this research, we aim to understand the plant globulin protein aggregation mechanisms in controlling aggregate morphology. We will then study how aggregates of different morphology can be used to create new functionality with emphasis on Pickering emulsions and fibirllar/percolating gels. Subsequently, these emulsions and gels will be converted into natural delivery systems of bioactive molecules to improve their stability and controlled release them in the small intestine for better absorption or health benefits. The knowledge gained through this research will represent a transformative tool for the food industry to develop emulsion- and gel-based foods of superior quality, with improved characteristics such as a prolonged shelf-life or better sensory properties. These tools will also enable the industry to tailor bioactive molecules (e.g. -3, lutein, enzymes) into novel functional foods to lower the risk of chronic disease and improve public health. The outcomes will benefit pharmaceutical, personal care and bio-product industries as well, which are also demanding natural and sustainable sources of plant origin. From an agricultural perspective, oat and pulse production represent key and major agricultural sectors in Canada. The proposed research will create new value-added opportunities for oat and pulse proteins and thus can enhance the profitability and sustainability of Canadian producers and processors alike.