Abstract
The demand for isolated seed proteins continues to increase but functionality in food systems can be greatly dependent on the extraction method. In this work, we report the physicochemical and functional properties of lentil seed proteins isolated using various protocols. Lentil flour was defatted followed by protein extraction using isoelectric pH precipitation (ISO) as well as NaOH (MEM_NaOH) and NaCl (MEM_NaCl) extractions coupled with membrane ultrafiltration. The MEM_NaCl had significantly (p < 0.05) higher protein content (90.28%) than the ISO (86.13%) and MEM_NaOH (82.55%). At pH 3–5, the ISO was less soluble (2.26–11.84%) when compared to the MEM_NaOH (25.74–27.22%) and MEM_NaCl (27.78–40.98%). However, the ISO had higher yield and protein digestibility (48.45% and 89.82%) than MEM_NaOH (35.05% and 77.87%) and MEM_NaCl (13.35% and 77.61%), respectively. Near-UV circular dichroism spectra showed that the MEM_NaOH had loose tertiary conformation at pH 3, 5, 7 and 9 while ISO and MEM_NaCl had more compact structures at pH 7 and 9. The three protein isolates formed better emulsions (lower oil droplet sizes) at pH 7 and 9 when compared to pH 3 and 5. In contrast, foaming capacity was better at pH 5 than pH 3, 7, and 9.
Highlights
Interest in plant proteins has significantly grown over the past decade [1,2]
This work has demonstrated the significant role of protein isolation method in defining structure and function
The effects of pH changes on the various physicochemical and functional properties of the lentil proteins were apparent, which emphasizes the impact of the protein environment on structural conformation, as well as functionality
Summary
Interest in plant proteins has significantly grown over the past decade [1,2]. This is partly because good proportions of amino acids in plant proteins make them viable alternatives to animal protein sources which might be needed due to various dietary restrictions including related allergenicity, halal consideration, vegetarianism, and so on [3,4]. Lentils are among the most cultivated legumes in the world, with Canada being the second largest producer and world’s largest lentil exporter [7,8]. Recent research efforts have been geared towards the production of protein concentrates or isolates with good solubility, emulsion, foaming, gelation, and other functional properties, which contribute to the sensory qualities and consumer acceptability of food products [11,12]
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