Enhanced bactericidal action and masking of allergen structure of soy protein by attachment of chitosan through Maillard‐type protein‐polysaccharide conjugation

Abstract The soy protein‐chitosan conjugate was formed by the Maillard reaction in dry state (relative humidity 65%) at 60°C for 2 weeks to improve the functional properties. The antimicrobial activity of the Maillard‐type soy protein‐chitosan conjugates enhanced 2–3 times that of soy protein‐chitosan mixture. The soy protein‐chitosan conjugate showed excellent emulsifying property with the progress of Maillard‐type conjugation. The allergenicity of soy protein was greatly decreased by the attachment of chitosan through Maillard reaction. The immonoblotting analysis with patient's sera revealed that soy protein‐chitosan conjugate was more effective to mask the allergen structure of soy protein causing from 34 kDa‐protein (Gly m Bd 30K) than soy protein‐galactomannan conjugate. The Western blotting showed that allergen (34 kDa‐protein) was completely masked by soy protein‐chitosan conjugation, while it was not completely masked by soy protein‐galactomannan conjugation.