Dose-effect relationship and molecular mechanism of cellulose nanocrystals improving the gel properties of pea protein isolate

This study focused on the dose-effect relationship and molecular mechanism of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) in improving the gel property of pea protein isolate (PPI). The addition of 0.75% CNC enabled PPI molecules to form a dense and orderly network structure, and gel strength and water holding capacity were increased by 391.68% and 11.65% compared with the control (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, CNC reduced the production of irregularly protein aggregates and their particle size. Hydrogen bonds and van der Waals were found to be the mainly driving interaction of CNC binding to specific amino acids of 11 S Legumin and 7 S Vicilin. Moreover, CNC changed the microenvironment of amino acid and promoted the transformation of alpha-helix to beta-sheet. Finally, the composite gel modified by 0.75% CNC had the potential to delay the release of tea flavor substances, and it could be applied to the development of pea protein-based products with tea flavor. This study provides a theoretical reference for the structural modification and functional application of pea protein.