Comparative effects of high pressure processing and heat treatment on in vitro digestibility of pea protein and starch

The effects of high-pressure processing (HPP) and heat treatment on the digestibility of protein and starch in pea protein concentrate (PPC) were investigated. Samples of PPC with 5% (5 P) and 15% (15 P) protein were treated by HPP (600 MPa/5 °C/4 min) or heat (95 °C/15 min) and their in vitro static and dynamic digestibility were compared to untreated controls. HPP-treated PPC underwent a greater degree of proteolysis and showed different peptide patterns after static gastric digestion compared to untreated and heat-treated PPC. Differences in protein digestibility among treatments during dynamic digestion were only significant (p < 0.05) during the first 20 min of jejunal, ileal, and total digestion for 5 P, and during the first 60 min of ileal digestion for 15 P. Neither static nor dynamic starch digestibility were dependent on treatment. HPP did not reduce trypsin inhibitor activity, whereas heat treatment reduced it by ~70%. HPP-induced structural modifications of proteins and starch did not affect their overall in vitro digestibility but enhanced gastric proteolysis.