Beyond the sum of parts: Exploring the combination of plant protein ingredients for enhanced nutritional quality and techno-functionality

Plant-based proteins are valued for their sustainability but are often limited by incomplete amino acid profiles and suboptimal techno-functionality. This study investigated the combination of lupine, pea, or soy protein isolate with potato or rice protein isolate in ratios of 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, and 80:20, evaluating their amino acid composition, foaming, emulsifying, and gelation properties. Potato protein isolate exhibited the highest amino acid score (1.01), while grain legume isolates had scores of ≤0.52. Foaming activity correlated with protein solubility (ρ = 0.86) and solubility index (ρ = 0.71), while fat content impaired foaming (ρ = -0.86) and emulsification (ρ = -0.78) of protein isolates. Blending potato with grain legume protein isolates improved amino acid scores and techno-functionality, while rice protein isolate increased scores but reduced techno-functionality due to low protein solubility (1.4 %). These results highlight the potential of tailored protein blends to improve nutrition and techno-functionality for sustainable food applications.