The effects of resonance acoustic mixing modulation on the structural and emulsifying properties of pea protein isolate

The effects of resonant acoustic mixing (RAM) with different treatment times (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 min) on the structural and emulsifying properties of pea protein isolate (PPI) were investigated for the first time. Increasing the RAM treatment time from 0 to 20 min decreased the alpha-helix/beta-sheet ratio and particle size of the PPI samples by 37.84 % and 46.44 %, respectively, accompanied by an increase in solubility from 54.79 % to 71.80 % (P < 0.05). Consequently, the emulsifying activity index of PPI (from 10.45 m(2)/g to 14.2 m(2)/g) and the physical stability of RAM-PPI emulsions were effectively enhanced, which was confirmed by the small and uniformly distributed oil droplets in the micrographs of the emulsions. However, excessive RAM treatment (30 min) diminished the effectiveness of the aforementioned improvements. Therefore, obviously enhanced solubility and emulsifying properties of PPI can be attained through proper RAM treatment (15-20 min).