A comparative study: Functional, thermal and digestive properties of cereal and leguminous proteins in ten crop varieties

This study aimed to investigate the processing properties of cereal and leguminous proteins for specialty or functional foods, while exploring the relationship between functional, thermal, and digestive properties for subsequent crop protein modification research. Proteins from five cereals (rye, Tartary buckwheat, wheat, oat, and common buckwheat) and five legumes (mung bean, adzuki bean, pea, lentil, and soybean) were isolated and analyzed. In addition, principal component analysis and correlation analysis were performed to demonstrate the weight and relevance of various properties, respectively. It was found that cereal proteins, had higher water holding capacity and oil absorption capacity (1.05–2.10 g/g, 2.82–4.87 g/g), while leguminous proteins had comparatively higher protein content (23.79–46.76 g/100 g), peak temperature (79.77–88.59 °C), solubility (27.71–82.03%), foaming capacity (16.44–32.86%), emulsifying activity index (42.81–48.64%), and digestibility (54.24–89.95%). Thus, cereal and leguminous proteins possessed excellent properties that could be promising material for extensive application in food industry.