1022Developing functionally enhanced pea proteins as innovative food ingredients

Yonghui Li

Department of Grain and Food Science, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

Pea protein is receiving significant interest as a sustainable plant-based protein source; however, its application in food systems remains limited by suboptimal functionality. This study aimed to enhance the techno-functional properties of pea protein through neoglycosylation with guar gum or gum arabic and enzymatic modification using transglutaminase or protein glutaminase. The physicochemical characteristics of the modified proteins were evaluated, along with their performance in mayonnaise-like dressings as egg replacers and in beef patties as functional extenders. Transglutaminase-crosslinked pea proteins demonstrated significantly enhanced water-holding capacity (5.2–5.6 g/g protein) relative to the control isolate (2.8 g/g). Guar gum–conjugated proteins exhibited exceptional emulsifying capacity and stability (up to ~100%), compared with the control protein (58% and 48%, respectively). Sequential modification (e.g., transglutaminase crosslinking followed by guar gum conjugation) produced synergistic improvements across multiple functionalities, including water and oil holding, gelation, and emulsification, without compromising descriptive sensory attributes. In beef patties, incorporation of 2.5–5% sequentially modified pea protein improved fat and water retention, cooking yield, and texture tenderness. In mayonnaise-like emulsion gel dressings, guar gum–conjugated proteins significantly increased stability, apparent viscosity, and viscoelasticity while reducing droplet size; dressings formulated with 6–8% modified protein displayed markedly enhanced emulsification performance. In conclusion, our research demonstrates a combined enzymatic and neoglycosylation strategy to generate multifunctional pea protein ingredients with enhanced applicability in clean-label, plant-forward food systems.