Abstract
Protein calories consumed by people all over the world approximate 15–20% of their energy intake. This makes protein a major nutritional imperative. Today, we are facing an unprecedented challenge to produce and distribute adequate protein to feed over nine billion people by 2050, in an environmentally sustainable and affordable way. Plant-based proteins present a promising solution to our nutritional needs due to their long history of crop use and cultivation, lower cost of production, and easy access in many parts of the world. However, plant proteins have comparatively poor functionality, defined as poor solubility, foaming, emulsifying, and gelling properties, limiting their use in food products. Relative to animal proteins, including dairy products, plant protein technology is still in its infancy. To bridge this gap, advances in plant protein ingredient development and the knowledge to construct plant-based foods are sorely needed. This review focuses on some salient features in the science and technology of plant proteins, providing the current state of the art and highlighting new research directions. It focuses on how manipulating plant protein structures during protein extraction, fractionation, and modification can considerably enhance protein functionality. To create novel plant-based foods, important considerations such as protein–polysaccharide interactions, the inclusion of plant protein-generated flavors, and some novel techniques to structure plant proteins are discussed. Finally, the attention to nutrition as a compass to navigate the plant protein roadmap is also considered.
Highlights
With global populations projected to increase above nine billion people by 2050 [1], we face an unprecedented challenge to produce and distribute adequate food to all of mankind.Apart from first meeting our calorie needs, the second most important macronutrient needed for human survival is protein
Proteins are macromolecules comprising linear polymers of amino acid residues joined by peptide bonds which have various structural, functional and nutritional properties that are useful for the food industry in food formulations [11]
Based on the gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy analysis, several aroma compounds such as furans, pyrazines, ketones, aldehydes, and others were detected from the Maillard reaction products (MRPs)
Summary
With global populations projected to increase above nine billion people by 2050 [1], we face an unprecedented challenge to produce and distribute adequate food to all of mankind. Relative to animal proteins, including dairy products, plant protein technology is still in its infancy To bridge this gap, advances in plant protein ingredient development and the knowledge to construct plant-based foods are sorely needed. The focus of this review on plant proteins is in the context of advanced nations, it is important to recognize that over one billion people may suffer from protein deficiency [10]. This problem may be more apparent in South Asia and Africa. We hope that this review will stimulate scientists to consider how they may develop low-cost alternative protein sources for consumption by people in developing nations
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