Improvement of the functionality of vegetable proteins by controlled enzymatic hydrolysis

Vegetable proteins are available to the food industry in various forms, such as flours, concentrates, isolates, and TVP (textured vegetable protein). However, the functional properties of these products are not always optimal and need improvement for certain applications. In recent years it has been demonstrated that a limited enzymatic hydrolysis offers a convenient and specific means of improving certain functional properties of vegetable proteins. The hydrolysis reaction is controlled by the degree of hydrolysis (DH) which is defined as the percentage of peptide bonds cleaved. Under neutral or slightly alkaline conditions, DH can be monitored continuously by the pH-stat technique, since the amount of base necessary to maintain a constant pH is proportional to DH. The reaction is terminated at a preset DH-value to obtain the desired properties of the hydrolysate.Protein products from soya bean, faba bean, and potato were hydrolysed to DH 0%, 3% and 5%, and certain functional properties (iso-electric solubility, emulsification capacity, whipping expansion, and foam stability) were evaluated. The general picture observed is an increase, often pronounced, in these four properties with increasing DH — however, there are also distinct differences between the protein sources as well as between the different forms of a particular protein. This work demonstrates that protein sources indigenous to Europe are fully comparable to soya protein with respect to potential functional uses.