A facile strategy for fabricating structural rice-pea binary protein-based gel: Characterization and formation mechanism

The effects of different ratios of pea protein (PP) on the gel characteristics of rice protein (RP) and the formation mechanism of RP-PP binary mixed protein were investigated. The formation of the basic viscoelastic network by PP may aid in the gelatinization of RP. Results showed that the RP/PP (1:0.5) mixed protein had the highest gel strength and hardness (P < 0.05), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) findings revealed that PP incorporation of the protein gel established a homogeneous and denser gel network structure. Furthermore, as the proportion of PP increased, the relaxation time of T2b, T21, T22 and surface hydrophobicity decreased, indicating that the hydrophobic interactions of binary proteins restricted water mobility. Results revealed that different behaviors of gels may be attributed to the secondary structure content of proteins. The formation mechanism of binary mixed protein gel was by RP and PP interpenetrating structural gel via independent protein network. It was due to the hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding between RP and PP enhancing the interactions and gel strength of mixed protein. In summary, results confirmed that PP could be used as a potential ingredient for improving the characteristics of RP/PP binary mixed protein gels.