Impact of High Hydrostatic Pressure on Protein Aggregation and Rheological Properties of Legume Batters

Abstract

The impact of high hydrostatic pressure (HP) treatment on protein aggregation and rheological properties of legume batters has been investigated. Gelatinisation/pasting and gelling profiles, rheological parameters and protein solubility of HP-hydrated chickpea (CP), green pea (GP) and soybean (SB) flours were determined. CP, GP and SB hydrated flours, at dough yield (DY) 160 and 200, were treated for 10 min at 0.1, 200, 350 or 450 MPa. Pressures of ≥350 MPa downward shifts gelatinisation temperatures in CP and GP regardless the hydration level. For all legume batters, HP provokes changes on the rheology of hydrated samples, particularly in softer batters (DY 200), leading to an increased stiff/solid character. Analysis of proteins extracted in different buffers revealed that pressures of >200 MPa induced the formation of urea-insoluble complexes, disulphide bonds and/or other strong protein aggregates. Although the extent of protein modification was dependent on the applied pressure, the results collected so far show that high HP can be used to improve the breadmaking functionality of CP, GP and SB batters.