Progress 02/01/24 to 01/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:During the reporting period, we reached a diverse audience to share the project's content, impacts, and outcomes. Our target audience included scientists and professionals in the food sector at different events such as international conferences, visits to academic institutions, and non-profit organizations. Additionally, we prioritized educating students on plant protein extraction processing to further expand expertise in this growing field. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In this reporting period, the project participated in the following activities for training and professional development aiming different audiences: Participating in an oral presentation at one international conference (FOODIE by AIChE, San Diego, CA) with participants consisting of food industry partners, academia, and non-profit organizations. We presented the outcomes of this project from this reporting period. Integration of project information and results during lecture materials for the food science program at UMass Amherst. Training of one undergraduate in the refining process of plant whey using ultrafiltration technology. Ongoing training of two graduate students on the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated through peer-reviewed publications (1 in the reporting period), oral presentations at conferences, oral presentations at conferences (1 in the reporting period), formal classroom teaching, and graduate/undergraduate student supervision. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, we will work on evaluating the digestibility of the refined pea whey to assess the bioavailability of its nutritional compounds and the effects of its antinutritional factors using a simulated gastrointestinal model (Goal 2). We will also focus on analyzing the use of refined pea whey on food emulsions: air-water and oil-water systems. Results will help as basis for upcycling this ingredient into more complex food matrices (Goal 3).
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the reporting period, we established the processing conditions to refine plant whey from field peas into a protein ingredient. Previously, we found that pea whey from protein extraction via alkaline solubilization-isoelectric point precipitation contains a considerable amount of proteins (25.6 ± 0.2%, d.b.) but higher amounts of impurities such as carbohydrates and minerals (56.1 ± 0.2% and 15.5 ± 0.1% d.b., respectively). Among antinutritional compounds, pea whey powder also contains higher phytic acid content (13.1 ± 0.2 mg/g) and similar trypsin inhibitors (4.0 ± 0.8 TIU/mg) than traditional pea protein isolates/concentrates. The presence of these impurities (i.e. carbohydrates, minerals, phytic acid and trypsin inhibitors) would limit the valorization efforts of this side-stream as a new pea protein ingredient. Therefore, the refining process of pea whey via ultrafiltration/diafiltration (UF/DF) was carried out to concentrate proteins and reduce or remove impurities (Goal 2). To establish the optimal cut-off that retains most of the proteins, five different membrane sizes (from 0.8 to 30 kDa) were evaluated in terms on protein yields and composition of resulting retentate powders. For all the treatments, UF/DF was done in six concentration cycles at 2.5 bar and 2.0 L/min. Results show that decreasing the membrane cut-off size from 30 kDa to 0.8 kDa increased the protein yield (total protein recovered in the final product from total protein in the initial material) of the UF/DF process from 26.4 ± 2.1% to 49.8 ± 2.0%. However, the protein contents of the refined pea whey powders decreased from 61.0 ± 1.0% to 34.3 ± 1.0% in the same membrane size range. The highest protein content among the powders was obtained after using a 5 kDa membrane which produced a powder with 63.2 ± 0.1% of proteins. No significant differences were found with the powder after UF/DF with a 10 kDa membrane. But its protein yield was significantly lower (27.0 ± 1.0%) than the yield from a process using a 5 kDa membrane (38.0 ± 5.7%). Among the treatments, we observed that between 20 to 30% of the proteins were retained in the membrane. Further work on optimizing processing conditions such as membrane pressure and feed flow might help to reduce fouling and increase protein yield. We also observed that 25% of the total protein content from pea whey passed through the smallest membrane size (0.8 kDa) which implies the existence of small peptides. Hydrolysis of pea protein could occur during protein extraction via alkaline solubilization-isoelectric point precipitation. In addition, we also demonstrated that the use of UF/DF was successful in reducing significantly the impurities of pea whey. In the resulting retentates (refined pea whey), 90% of the conductivity of pea whey decreased among all the treatments except in the product from the 0.8 kDa membrane which decreased around 80%. Conductivity reduction implies the removal of minerals from the material during UF/DF. Among carbohydrates, less than 5% of initial oligosaccharides remained in the retentates in all treatments except in the product from the 0.8 kDa membrane. The lower removal of impurities in the process using the 0.8 kDa membrane explained the lower protein concentration in the refined product that was previously described. Lastly, the antinutritional factors showed lower values in the final products as well. In all the treatments, phytic acid decreased by 80% and trypsin inhibitors decreased by around 50%. No significant differences were observed among the treatments. During this reporting period, we also analyzed the interfacial properties of pea whey in air-water and oil-water systems that can be utilized for food applications (Goal 3). We studied the use of pea whey (PW) as a standalone ingredient and in mixtures with pea protein isolates/concentrates (PPI). After protein extraction via alkaline solubilization-isoelectric point precipitation method, five mixtures of 0.1% protein concentration were prepared at different ratios of PW-PPI (100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, 0:100, in % of total proteins). In air-water system, results showed that storage and loss moduli from 100% PW reached a constant behavior faster than 100% PPI and the PW-PPI mixtures during a time-sweep test. Because of its higher albumin content, proteins from pea whey probably aggregated faster in the air-water system, but it seems they formed a weak interaction. The LVER value of 100% PW was significantly lower (1.03%) than the LVER value from 100% PPI (2.68%) during amplitude sweep from 0.1 to 1000% shear strain. However, no significant differences were found between the LVERs from 100% PW and the mixtures PW-PPI (1.23 to 1.65%). Conversely, in oil-water system, there was no significant differences between in the LVER values of 100% PW and 100% PPI (1.14 and 1.69%, respectively). Higher values in PPI could be explained by considering its higher content of globulins which contributes to stronger interactions in oil-water system. LVERs from the PW-PPI mixtures showed similar results except for the mixture 75%PW-25%PPI which was significantly higher (3.16%). In the time-sweep test, there were no clear differences among all treatments. Differences in pea whey and PPI were observed in a pendant drop test. Surface tension of air-water system using 100% PW was higher (~57 mN/m) than 100% PPI (~53 mN/m) and the PW-PPI mixtures (~51 to ~55 mN/m). Nevertheless, all the conditions showed stability for at least 1 hour. In oil-water system, the surface tension results followed the same trend. Using 100% PW, results show higher values (~10 mN/m) than 100% PPI (~9 mN/m) and the PW-PPI mixtures (~5 mN/m to ~9 mN/m). All the treatments showed stability for at least 2.3 hours. Overall, we established a refined process that was able to concentrate proteins and significantly reduce impurities. Interfacial properties of pea whey also showed the feasibility on the use of this side stream in different food matrix. The use of pea whey as a standalone ingredient or mixed with pea protein isolates/concentrates would contribute to developing a more circular and comprehensive approach to pea protein manufacturing.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Chuchuca Moran G., Grossmann L. 2024. Milling Energy Impacts the Co-Extraction of Globulins, Albumins, and Anti-Nutritional Factors of Peas. Food Bioprocess Technol.:1534-1548. doi: 10.1007/s11947-024-03542-6
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Chuchuca Moran G., Grossmann L. 2024. From Waste-to-Table: Refining of Pea Whey to a New Protein Ingredient. 6th Food Innovation and Engineering (FOODIE) Conference, San Diego, 31st October 1st November.
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Progress 02/01/23 to 01/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience: During this reporting period, we engaged diverse audiences to disseminate information about the content, impacts, and outcomes of the project. Our target audience encompassed scientists and professionals in the food and agricultural sector, spanning the industry, non-profit, and academic domains. We shared project results at international food conferences (IFT) and during visits to other universities (Walailak University, Thailand). Furthermore, we provided training in plant protein extraction and sidestream characterization to a visiting student. Our focus was particularly on reaching individuals involved in the alternative protein field, including those in universities, non-profit organizations, start-ups, small companies, and large food/agriculture corporations. The audience comprised scientists from universities, professionals in R&D departments, advocates for alternative proteins in non-profit organizations, and founders. Additionally, we aimed to educate students in plant protein extraction processing. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? During this reporting period, diverse efforts were made to reach various audiences and communicate the contents, impacts, and outcomes of the project. These efforts included participation in multiple international conferences, delivering formal classroom instruction, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and supervising/teaching graduate students involved in the project. Notably, the project reached the following audiences: Presentation at one international conference (IFT) with a mixed audience including representatives from the food industry, academia, and non-profit organizations. Integration of project information and results into lecture materials for the food science program at UMass Amherst. Training of three undergraduate students in protein extraction and sidestream characterization. Ongoing training of two graduate students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated through peer-reviewed publications (1 in the reporting period), oral/poster presentations at conferences (2 in the reporting period), formal classroom teaching, and graduate/undergraduate student supervision. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we will continue working on the sidestream composition. We will then focus on evaluating technologies to process plant whey and to establish conditions on the downstream process, especially aiming to remove salts and potentially antinutrients. This will serve as the basis to determine the future applications for plant whey. Based on the produced ingredient we will establish its digestibility and functional properties (goals 2 and 3)
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the reporting period, the protein extraction processes for two plant seed materials were established: field pea (Pisum sativum) and cashew nuts (Anacardium occidentale). This helped us to quantify the quantity of the different plant protein extraction sidestreams (Goal 1). For both materials, alkaline solubilization followed by isoelectric point precipitation was used to recover protein from the plant seeds. For peas, temperature-controlled milling was applied to understand the effect of powder particle size on the extraction efficiency and mass balance of the extraction procedure. For cashew nuts, defatting was carried out to reduce the oil content from the nuts. Both processes were preliminary steps in the protein extraction. Results show that plant whey represented the largest mass fraction recovered in the protein extraction process from both materials. About 75% of the mass is the plant whey during the extraction from field peas and 85% from cashew nuts. In contrast, the globulin-rich fraction is only around 3% of the mass yield for both plant materials tested. The remaining mass is the starch-rich fraction. The composition of the plant whey from both materials is mostly water (95%) and contains around 1% proteins, whereas the globulin-rich fraction contains the majority of proteins from the starting materials (more than 50%). We further investigated the protein extraction process from field peas to understand the effect of processing parameters on mass, protein, and antinutrient yields. For this, the influence of different pea varieties and particle sizes obtained through temperature-controlled milling was studied in a standardized plant protein extraction process. We aimed to quantify how much protein is solubilized from pea flour and consequently ends up in the different outputs of the process (starch-rich fraction, globulin-rich fraction, and albumin-rich fraction) based on the different milling intensities. The amount of starch and natural antinutrients (trypsin inhibitors and phytic acid) were also quantified in the different outputs or fractions. We utilized two varieties that represented yellow peas (AAC Delhi) and green peas (AAC Radius). The particle size of peas was reduced for both varieties at nine different energy inputs during temperature-controlled milling from mean particle sizes of >200 um to below 1.5 um (d3,2). Subsequently, we quantified the amount of starch, protein, and antinutrients (trypsin inhibitors and phytic acid) as a function of the milling energy input. Results show that protein yields (i.e., % protein recovered from the total protein in the seeds) in the globulin and albumin-rich fractions increased when the milling energy input increased from 9 to 500 kJ/kg. For instance, the protein yield increased from 14 to 52% and 14 to 54% in the globulin-rich fractions from yellow and green peas, respectively; and the protein yield increased from 6 to 19% and 4 to 17% in the albumin-rich fractions from yellow and green peas, respectively. The total protein content of the albumin-rich fractions consequently increased as well. It went from 17 to 22 g/100 g when energy input increased from 9 to 500 kJ/kg. Conversely, the protein yield in the starch-rich fraction decreased (from 88 to 29%) when the energy input increased. High energy inputs produced flours with small particle sizes which enhanced the protein extraction. The starch content of the protein fractions (globulin- and albumin-rich fraction) was less than 5 g/100 g regardless of the energy input applied which demonstrates the specificity of the extraction process. Antinutrients were also analyzed and the measurements revealed that the trypsin inhibitor activity and phytic acid content of the starch-rich fraction from both varieties decreased when the milling energy input increased from 9 to 500 kJ/kg. This indicated that both antinutrients were released into the protein fractions during the extraction process. However, the trypsin inhibitor activity exhibited only slight changes (3 to 4 TIU/mg) among the globulin-rich fractions from flours and no clear correlation was identified for the different milling energy inputs. In the albumin-rich fractions from yellow peas, the activity was higher (3.2 to 4.9 TIU/mg) than in the fractions from green peas (1.7 to 3.6 TIU/mg) but also no clear trend was observed with increased milling intensity. Similarly, only slight changes were identified in the globulin-rich fraction for the phytic acid yield when the two varieties were treated at different energy inputs. Only slight differences in the phytic acid content were identified and ranged from 2 to 2.6 g/100 g and 2.7 to 3.6 g/100g in the globulin-rich fraction from yellow peas and green peas, respectively. However, the phytic acid content in the albumin-rich fractions from both varieties increased considerably when the milling energy input increased from 9 to 500 kJ/kg. Here, the phytic acid content increased from 0.8 to 1.6 g/100 g and 1.7 to 2.7 g/100 g in yellow and green peas with increasing milling energy input, respectively. Overall, we identified that milling intensity considerably influences total mass and protein yields, which is important to designing optimized plant protein extraction processes. The composition of the fractions is also essential to eventually valorize the sidestream, which is currently not done because of the lack of knowledge surrounding them.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Grossmann L. 2023. Structural properties of pea proteins (Pisum sativum) for sustainable food matrices. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.: 121. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2023.2199338
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Chuchuca G., Grossmann L. The Influence of Crop Variety and Milling on Protein Fractionations From Field Peas After Alkaline Extraction-Isoelectric Point Precipitation. IFT First, Chicago, 17-19th July
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Grossmann L: Alternative Protein Research at UMass Amherst. Invited talk at Walailak University (Thailand)
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Progress 02/01/22 to 01/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:In this reporting period, a multitude of different audiences were reached about the contents, impacts, and outcomes of the project. The target audience included scientists and professionals working in the food and agricultural sector including audiences from the industry, non-profit, and academic sectors. During this period, we especially targeted an audience that is working in the alternative protein space at universities, non-profit organizations, start-ups, small companies, and large food/agriculture companies. The audience mainly consists of scientists working at universities, professionals working in R&D departments, nonprofit organizations that advocate for alternative proteins, or founders. Additionally, we targeted students to train them on plant protein extraction processing. Changes/Problems:Due to ongoing visa issues in 2022, we had a delay in hiring a graduate student for the project. The experimental phase of the project, therefore, started 7 months later than initially planned. We are expecting that this will lead to a no-cost extension at the end of the project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In this reporting period, a multitude of different audiences were reached about the contents, impacts, and outcomes of the project. The taken efforts included going to multiple international conferences, presenting the project to food companies in 1:1 meetings, formal classroom instruction, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and supervising/teaching graduate students on the project. In particular, the following audiences were reached during the reporting period: The project was presented at 2 international conferences (Bridge2Food events in Chicago and Singapore) with a mixed audience of 400-500 participants consisting of food industry partners, academia, and non-profit organizations. One multinational food company was introduced to the project in a 1:1 meeting. Incorporation of project information and results in lecture materials for the food science program at UMass Amherst Ongoing training of 1 graduate student and 1 undergraduate student on the project How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, oral presentations at conferences, 1:1 meetings with interested companies, formal classroom teaching, and graduate student supervision. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, we will continue working on establishing the effect of plant variety and processing conditions on sidestream flows to establish and optimize the cascade extraction of plant proteins. We will then focus on the sidestream composition, especially analyzing the antinutritional compounds that are expected to be present in such fractions. This will serve as the basis for developing technologies to reduce these compounds.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The overall aim of this project is to upcycle sidestreams that occur during plant protein extraction processes. This will reduce the amount of food waste and will generate new functional protein-based food ingredients. The project addresses the gap in knowledge surrounding plant protein extraction to support the development of holistic cascade-based plant protein extraction processes that will help ingredient and food manufacturers to exploit the full potential of plant proteins. During the reporting period, the main focus was on gathering seed raw materials and establishing protein extraction processes that will allow us to quantify the quantity of the different plant protein extraction sidestreams (Goal 1). This is important to allow for the design of cultivation and processing conditions to minimize or maximize the protein yield in the different "streams" of the process. Ongoing experiments have been carried out to reveal the impact of different plant varieties and extraction conditions on the amount of protein that currently ends up as waste and not in the final product. Preliminary results indicate that the plant variety and milling intensity have a considerable influence on how much protein is solubilized and consequently ends up in the different outputs of the process (final products vs. sidestream). This knowledge is essential to eventually valorize the sidestream, which is currently not done because of the lack of knowledge surrounding minor plant protein fractions. The created knowledge will have important consequences for ingredient manufacturers to increase their yield in their production facilities that produce hundreds of tons of protein annually. Overall, the project started to deliver important information on plant protein processing by focusing on a holistic approach that also aims at valorizing the sidestreams.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Lutz Grossmann: FROM SINGLE CELLS TO PLANT PROTEINS: THE REQUIRED SCIENCE TO DESIGN THE NEXT GENERATION OF SUSTAINABLE FOODS
Bridge2Food Course, Las Vegas, 3-4th November
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Lutz Grossmann: How Academia Drives Innovation in the Plant-based Food Arena
Bridge2Food Summit, Singapore, 28-30th November
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