Techno-Functional Properties of Dry and Wet Fractionated Pulse Protein Ingredients

Dry fractionation (DF) of pulses is proposed as a more sustainable process than wet fractionation (WF) to create protein ingredients for food applications. To facilitate the use of these ingredients by food manufacturers, it is important to understand the connection between their functional properties and processing methods. This study investigated protein ingredients from faba bean, mung bean, yellow pea and chickpea obtained via milling and air-classification and commercial WF, comparing them with commercial soy protein concentrate. Functional properties of these ingredients were investigated, including overall solubility, protein solubility, water-holding, oil-holding, emulsifying, foaming and rheological properties. DF proteins exhibited higher protein solubility, higher emulsification and lighter colour, while WF proteins demonstrated higher water-holding capacity. The pasting profiles varied significantly between the two processing methods, with DF proteins exhibiting lower pasting temperatures. However, the gels formed from DF and WF proteins exhibited similar abilities to withstand deformation and retain their structure. The findings highlight that the fractionation method significantly influences the functional properties of protein materials. Dry fractionation may produce materials with high solubility, offering significant potential in food applications.