A wide range of environmental issues associated with traditional plastics have resulted in the need for efficient pathways that focus on sustainability. Therefore, attention has been drawn to naturally-derived polymers such as starch. To date, commercial starches from potatoes, corn, and rice have been dominating the polymer industry. Faba bean starch, on the other hand, has received little material application despite its strong gelling ability and high final viscosity. The present study utilized tunicate-sourced cellulose nanocrystals to mitigate the water barrier properties of faba bean starch of different degrees of purity (air-classified and isolated). Tunicate CNC (varying between 0.2 and 0.6 mL) was added to starch (3% w/v) and glycerol (1 mL). 25 mL of the starch/glycerol/tunicate CNC was then crosslinked with 5 mL of sucrose and 5 mL of citric acid, basically minimizing retrogradation and enhancing antimicrobial properties. The films were characterized for their physico-chemical, mechanical, and thermal properties. The environmental footprint of the film specimens provides a competitive advantage in reducing carbon emissions over low-density polyethylene.

Plant proteins are gaining in popularity and are increasingly being considered as an alternative to animal protein, thus a sustainable, yet comparable source of plant protein is highly recommended. To this end, the current study was conducted to investigate the structural, thermal, physical, and functional attributes, as well as the volatile profile of sugar maple leaves (SML) protein. To this end, SML protein was extracted by homogenization (10000 rpm, 5 min) pretreated ultrasound-assisted extraction (120000 J, 60% amplitude, 5:5 pulse, 25°C, and 15 min) at varying pH (8−10) and compared with conventionally extracted SML protein. Among the different protein extracts, sonicated extract (pH9) provided a good protein yield (up to 7%) having higher protein content (210 mg Bovine serum albumin/g dry matter), thermal stability (onset of denaturation temperature:114°C), and functional properties (solubility, emulsion capacity, water holding capacity, and antioxidant activity). On contrary, the characteristic green aroma, caused by 3-hexen-1-ol and nonanal, was found higher in sonicated protein extracts than that of macerated extracts. Having said that, this study showed the versatile properties of SML protein fractions that can be used as plant-based food ingredients.

Structure and texture formation in plant proteins based meat-analog (MA), is still a big challenge. This study utilized different plant-based composites to develop restructured MA. Physicochemical, thermal, mechanical, structural, and sensory properties of formulated MA as well as batter-coated fried MAs were studied, and compared with a commercial product. Protein (23.27-24.68%), moisture (57.05-58.78%), pH (7.19-7.57), color (L:64.76-66.84, a:0.62-1.98, b:18.84-20.49), and textural (MF:0.22-0.52N, GF:0.07-0.24N/sec, FA:0.74-1.92 N.sec) attributes of formulated MAs were substantially impacted by the ratio of soy-protein-isolate (SPI) and wheat-gluten (WG). Incorporation of higher WG and lower SPI resulted in the formation of chicken-like fibrous and porous structure, hence, increased consumers acceptability of MA-based coated fried products. Microporosity (crust:51.14-58.35%, core: 63.57-71.55%), surface opening (5.67-14.75%), and fractal dimension (2.586-2.402) of coated fried MAs were dependent on the formulation of batter-coating. MA-based coated fried products surface moisture-fat (SMR:0.51-187.20 au; SFR: 2.01-20.17 au) profile significantly (p<0.05) varied with the formulations of batter-coating. Negative glass-transition-temperature (around -23°C) is prime concern for MA-based fried products stability at room environment.

Micronization is vital in altering the microstructural properties of pulse seeds, aiming to tailor them for various applications. This study evaluated the impact of micronization processing on the microstructural and physico-chemical attributes of three key pulses: chickpeas, lentils, and yellow peas, using different infrared (IR) exposure times (60, 80, 100, and 120 s) at a surface temperature of 180°C. Morphometric parameters (porosity, pore size, and pore distribution) were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed using X-ray micro-CT, while physico-chemical parameters such as moisture loss (%), color change (ΔE), hardness (N), swelling/hydration capacity, and cooking time (min) were assessed using AOAC methods. Results demonstrated a significant increase (p<0.05) in moisture loss, ranging from 2.16 ± 0.29% to 12.24 ± 1.62% at prolonged IR exposure, along with noticeable discoloration of micronized seeds at 100 s and 120 s. Chickpeas and yellow peas exhibited increased hardness with extended IR exposure, whereas green lentils showed a significant reduction (p<0.05) in hardness at 120 s (158.01 ± 41.47N). All three pulses showed a substantial reduction in cooking time when micronized at 100 s, showing optimal cooking times of 120 ± 2 min, 50 ± 2 min, and 20 ± 2 min by chickpeas, yellow peas, and green lentils, respectively. Pulses micronized at 100 s demonstrated improved porosity, swelling/hydration capacity, and decreased cooking time, indicating their suitability for diverse applications. This study underscores the importance of understanding the microstructural and physico-chemical changes induced by pulse micronization, offering insights to develop predictive models to meet specific consumer/industrial requirements.

The growing need for plant protein has resulted in the increased demand for many pulse grain fractionation and refining industries. Field pea grains, which are produced worldwide have high protein concentration ranging from 25% to 30% (dry basis). However, the pea starch, a byproduct of the protein refining industry does not find any place in the agri-food sector because of their high amylose concentration (~40%), which could lead to rapid retrogradation. Therefore, in this study, a novel in-house spraying procedure was used to synthesise starch nanoparticles, to encapsulate natural antimicrobial compounds such as essential oils to find a value-added application of the underutilized starch byproduct. The synthesis of oil-encapsulated starch nanoparticles (OESNP) was further optimized using a Box-Behnken experimental design to study the influence of the processing parameters such as the initial starch concentration (10, 30 and 50 mg/ml), homogenization speed (5000 to 15000 rpm), duration of homogenization (1 to 10 min), sample injection rate (100 to 1000 µl/min), and quantity of antisolvent (1:1 to 1: 10). The produced OESNP were further characterized to investigate their molecular interactions, size and structure of the nanoparticles using Dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry. The optimized sample showed an 80-90 % entrapment efficiency and particle size (<500 nm). The OESNP also showed significant antimicrobial properties against common plant pathogens suggesting their potential use in agri-food sector.

The growing demand for plant protein ingredients has increased the attention towards pulse starch, a major byproduct of protein fractionation. North America is the largest producer of pinto beans in the world. Different milling techniques are used to produce pinto bean flour which is further processed for protein or starch isolation. Each mill has a unique impact on the starch molecules that influence the yield and properties of isolated starches. In this study, the effect of blade mill, burr mill, stone mill, and hammer mill on the physical properties of pinto bean flour was correlated with conventional isoelectric precipitation-based starch isolation, and the characteristics of starch isolates. In all mills, the increase in milling intensity resulted in lower particle sizes and subsequent increase in starch damage in flour. However, the degree of size reduction and starch damage varied among different mills. The larger particles were observed in burr milled flours followed by stone mill, blade mill and hammer mill. The starch yield significantly increased with reduction in flour particle size. The degree of crystallinity, conclusion temperature during gelatinization and the enthalpy of gelatinization of starch isolates were also reduced with a reduction in particle size of flours.