Food proteins

Since proteins vary widely in their structure, their functional properties will diverge accordingly. Additionally, the functionality of proteins is influenced by the isolation procedure, (physico-)chemical or enzymatic modification, and the composition and processing route of the food in which they are applied. Besides the use of proteins as food ingredient, we also focus on their breakdown by digestive enzymes. Knowledge of structure-function relationships of proteins in foods, and the interaction between proteins and other food constituents form the basis for the development of modern processes, new ingredients or higher quality products.

In our group, we have four main focus areas:

1. Novel and current plant proteins (including microalgae): Focused on isolation methods, complications to replace animal-based proteins, protein-phenol interactions, off-taste/off-colour formation and characterisation of the obtained concentrates/isolates.
2. Enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins: To describe the protein hydrolysis, a unique method has been developed to identify and quantify peptides in several stages of the hydrolysis process. This allowed further development of concepts to characterise this process and relevant molecular properties of both protease and substrate.
3. Maillard reactions: To understand the effects of Maillard reactions on ingredient functionality and protein digestibility, we developed adequate methods to quantify the extent of modification.
4. Foam and emulsifying properties of proteins: We develop methods and concepts to describe functional properties based on the protein molecular properties.

In our group, we have the following expertises:

• Analysis of proteins and peptides by liquid-chromatography techniques as AEC, SEC, HILIC
• Advanced analytical techniques such as LC-MS to analyse intact proteins and peptides
• We combine the information obtained with these techniques with protein conformation (circular dichroism, light-scattering) and protein functionality (several methods)
• Simulation ofin vitro digestion with pH-stat units