Development of Plant-based Dairy Analogues Using the Interaction of Lentil (Lens culinaris Medic) Protein Isolate and Lentil Starch and Enzymatic Treatments

In recent years, the development of plant-based products has risen rapidly and other under-researched and underexplored proteins as an alternative to pea and soybean are demanded to meet the needs of new consumers. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medic) protein (LP) is a gluten-free plant-based protein with a promising potential as a substitute for animal-based proteins and use in plant-based food products. Plant-based proteins can act as emulsifying, texturizing, gelling, and foaming agents, but their proper function is dependent on the protein structure. Moreover, the application of LP in food products is restricted due to the low water solubility and poor protein digestibility. To address these limitations, modification can be used to change and improve their physicochemical properties. The complexation of plant-based proteins with other ingredients such as polysaccharides is of great importance and can advance the functional properties of proteins. In this study, lentil protein isolate (LPI) and lentil starch (LS) will be extracted and characterized. After that, the modification of LPI will be done by different enzymatic treatments (pepsin, papain, and transglutaminase (TG)), complexation with LS, and combined modification with enzymatic treatments and complexation with LS. The physicochemical and functional properties of LPI and modified LPI will be evaluated. Finally, the application of LPI and the best modified LPI into the formulation of plant-based dairy analogues will be investigated.