Location: Small Grain and Food Crops Quality Research
Project Number: 3060-21650-002-064-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 15, 2024
End Date: Dec 31, 2025
Objective:
The proposed research will follow several intermediate (1-year) objectives and a long-term goal. The overall long-term goal of this research initiative is to obtain pulse protein ingredients that have enhanced functional, nutritional, and sensory attributes by employing submerged fungi cultivation (Figure 1). We will mainly focus on peas as a major pulse protein ingredient and chickpeas as an upcoming ingredient with promising functional properties, but we expect that the findings of this project can be used to also improve other pulse proteins. Each objective can be carried out independently and we aim to utilize submerged fungi cultivation to: Objective 1) Tailor the functional properties of pulse proteins for utilization in solid and liquid food matrices: 2) Reduce the antinutritional compounds in pulse proteins to enhance their digestibility 3) Metabolize volatile compounds to lower the presence of off-flavors.
Approach:
Pulse proteins are a valuable food ingredient, but their functional, nutritional, and sensory deficits prevent a more widespread use as a food ingredient. The goal of this research project is to overcome these challenges by applying an advanced biotransformation process using submerged fungi cultivation that will yield an improved pulse ingredient with enhanced functional, nutritional, and sensory properties. To achieve this, pea and chickpea protein concentrates with known functional, nutritional, and sensory deficits will be fermented using two proteolytic GRAS-certified Ascomycetes. The aim of this bioprocess is to produce a standalone pulse protein ingredient through the separation from the mycelia, enhancing its functional, sensory, and nutritional characteristics.
The proposed project is structured along the three major challenges and is designed to offer a holistic solution with minimal waste streams. Our main hypothesis is that the metabolic activity of Ascomycetes will transform pea and chickpea protein concentrates to lower their degree of protein aggregation, decrease the antinutrient content, and metabolize volatile off-flavors. Multidisciplinary techniques will be employed to reveal the change in the molecular, physicochemical, functional, digestibility, and sensory properties of the proteins after different cultivation treatments.
