Ultrasound-enhanced reconstruction and gelation of binary lentil–quinoa protein matrix for nutrition complementary soft gels

Yuchen Ma, Youling L. Xiong, Jiang Jiang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The objective of this study was to construct hybrid protein soft gels with complementary amino acids, focusing on molecular interaction, structural pattern, textural properties, and digestibility, and nutritional impact. Lentil (legume) and quinoa (cereal) proteins were pretreated with ultrasound (100, 250, and 400W), and their blends were heated to form binary gel matrixes. Significant changes in calorimetric, solubility (with lentil and quinoa protein solubility increasing by 32% and 22%, respectively), and aggregation properties after ultrasound process led to pronounced enhancements of gelling capacity of hybrid proteins (P < 0.05). The improvements of gel hardness (1.9-fold), rheology, and microstructural characteristics (network density and uniformity) are attributed largely to hydrophobic and polar sidechain interactions. The hybrid binary protein gels exhibited superior digestibility. Hence, ultrasound pretreatment can aid in the formation of hybrid plant protein gels with balanced amino acid compositions, suggesting the suitability for gel-based dysphagia foods or other formulated novel products like plant protein-based meat analogues, custards, and gellies.

Original languageEnglish
Article number106311
JournalFood Bioscience
Volume66
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025

Keywords

  • Composite gels
  • Gelation
  • Heat aggregation
  • Lentil protein
  • Quinoa protein
  • Ultrasound

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Food Science
  • Biochemistry

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