Modification of peanut protein isolate in glucose-containing solutions during simulated industrial thermal processes and gastric-duodenal sequential digestion

This research investigated the effects of commonly practiced thermal treatments (simulated pasteurization, retort sterilization and UHT sterilization) on peanut protein isolate (PPI)-glucose solution. Results showed that thermal treatment on PPI-glucose solution from mild to drastic conditions would lead to a more ordered and compact protein structure, greater extent of Maillard reaction, higher degree of graft, stronger in vitro antioxidant activities, but decrease in vitro digestion especially lower degree of hydrolysis in two-step enzymolysis by pepsin and then pancreatin. Compared with the unheated PPI-glucose solution, the Td values of ones autoclaved at 121 °C for 30 min and 45 min increased by 5% and 12%, and the ΔH of all the heated samples was lower than the unheated one. The present study indicated that retort sterilization or UHT sterilization treatment could be favourable in producing a beverage containing PPI and glucose with proper digestibility and post-digestion antioxidant activities.