Role of chemically-modified proteins for the formulation of plant-based animal-product alternatives

Abstract

The burgeoning plant-based animal product alternatives (PBAA) sector is an emerging vertical of food products aimed at replicating meat and dairy products while mitigating their drawbacks. Conventionally, soy protein is a common base used to formulate the above category of products. However, its limitations in functionality, sustainability (monocropping), and allergenicity drive the exploration of diverse plant protein sources like pulses & legumes, cereals, oil seeds, nuts, leaves, and tubers. A key challenge lies in achieving the solubility, functionality, and texture comparable to animal proteins, which most non-soy plant proteins lack. Therefore, modification through physical, chemical, or biological routes is explored to bring in the required techno-functionalities. Among them, chemical modification offers a promising solution, effectively altering protein structure and properties to meet these requirements, similar to the established use of chemically modified starches. Recent research highlights the potential of food-grade chemical modifications to create tailored plant protein ingredients for enhanced PBAA, improving their nutrition, flavor, and technical performance, thus unlocking new market opportunities. This review emphasizes and deliberates different chemical modification techniques, such as deamidation, acylation, glycation, phosphorylation, pH shifting, and cationization, for plant proteins and their application in the development of PBAA, thereby creating new opportunities in the plant-based food market.