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2025 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo.

Protein and Co-Products

Health and Nutrition

Plant-Based Proteins and Co-Products – Safety and Sustainability II

Refining soluble pea proteins as circular processing approach in plant-based protein manufacturing

Monday, April 28, 2025
3:35 PM – 3:55 PM PST
Room: B113
Replacing traditional animal proteins with plant-based proteins has become the standard response by the food sector to attain its sustainability goals. Pea protein ingredients, one of the most popular plant-based protein alternatives, are commonly extracted through the alkaline solubilization-isoelectric point precipitation route. The concentrate or isolate products are obtained from the precipitated fraction whereas the soluble protein fraction remains as a side-stream. In this work, we aimed to characterize this soluble fraction and then establish a downstream process that refines this side-stream into a new protein ingredient. Results showed that the soluble fraction represented the largest fraction recovered by wet mass (75± 0.1%) and, after drying, contained 25.6 ± 0.2% of proteins and significant amount of carbohydrates and minerals (56.1 ± 0.2% and 15.5 ± 0.1%, respectively). The soluble fraction also contained higher phytic acid content (13.1 ± 0.2 mg/g) than traditional pea protein ingredients. These impurities (i.e. carbohydrates, minerals, and phytic acid) might limit valorization of this side-stream. Therefore, refining process via ultrafiltration/diafiltration (at 2.5 bar and 2.0 L/min) was carried out to concentrate proteins and reduce impurities. To establish the optimal cut-off that retains most of proteins, different membrane sizes (0.8 to 30 kDa) were evaluated in terms on protein yields and composition of resulting retentates. The use of membrane with 5 kDa achieved the highest protein content and reduction of impurities. After drying, the refined product contained 65.2 ± 0.1% of proteins. Protein composition analysis showed vicilin, legumin β, lectins, PA1, and PA2. Refining process was able to remove 90% of mineral and phytic acid contents. Among carbohydrates, 20% of oligosaccharides remained in the final product which lowered its protein concentration. Nevertheless, bringing the soluble fraction from a side-stream into a standalone ingredient contribute to developing a more circular and comprehensive approach to pea protein manufacturing.