Structure and functional properties of watermelon seed protein-glucose conjugates prepared by different methods

Abstract

Watermelon seed protein (WSP)-glucose conjugates were prepared by wet-heating (WH), microwave pretreatment assisted wet-heating (MWH), and ultrasonic pretreatment assisted wet-heating (UWH) methods. The effects of these methods on the structure and functional properties of WSP-glucose conjugates were investigated. Compared with WH groups, the conjugates prepared with UWH and MWH had higher grafting degree (DG).fluorescence intensity and lower content of α-helix, β-sheet structure. In addition, the conjugates prepared with UWH and MWH methods showed better solubility, foaming properties, emulsifying properties, thermal stability and antioxidant activities, which may be due to the structural changes of the conjugates. These results indicated that UWH and MWH may be effective methods for improving the functional properties of WSP-glucose conjugates.