Influence of formulation and processing strategies on the physicochemical properties of lentil protein stabilised emulsions for use in infant nutritional applications

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dc.contributor.advisorO'Mahony, Seamus Anthony
dc.contributor.advisorArendt, Elke K.
dc.contributor.advisorexternalFrancesca, Bot
dc.contributor.authorMalterre, Nicolasen
dc.contributor.funderHorizon 2020
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-12T16:10:10Z
dc.date.available2025-05-12T16:10:10Z
dc.date.issued2024en
dc.date.submitted2024
dc.description.abstractThe interest and research for plant-based infant nutritional products is growing together with the attention for a sustainable food system. However, while the formulation of plant-based food products is widely studied, the investigations of processing innovations for the manufacture of sustainable, nutritional plant-based food systems are more limited. This thesis investigates the effect of processing techniques to formulate lentil protein-stabilised emulsions at high total solids for young child nutritional products, with enhanced techno-functional properties and physical stability. Formulation of high-solid lentil protein emulsions (lentil protein, sunflower oil and maltodextrin representing 15.85, 27.43 and 56.72% of total solids, respectively), showed high physical and heat stability in the range between 23 and 26% total solids. On the other hand, emulsions at higher total solid concentrations (i.e., 29% and above) had poor physical stability and showed extensive oil-droplet flocculation. The low protein solubility in the high total solid emulsions was identified as one of the main limiting factors in the techno-functional properties of the emulsified systems. Therefore, different physical pre-treatments, including high-shear mixing and high-pressure homogenisation (HPH), were selected to improve the techno-functional properties of the protein ingredients and the emulsions made therefrom. High-shear mixing showed an increase in protein solubility (as measured through nitrogen content in the soluble fraction) (from 46.87 to 68.42% after 0 min and 15 min at 15,000 rpm, respectively), and overall enhanced physical stability of the dispersions, with a reduction of the separation rate from 71.23 (0 min) to 24.16%·h-1 (15 min). HPH allowed an enhanced solubility compared to the high-shear mixing process and at 150 MPa the lentil protein isolate dispersions had a solubility of 96.4%. Moreover, the pre-treated lentil protein dispersions (5%, w/v, homogenised at 150 MPa), had higher hydrophobicity (from 607 ± 29 to 1271 ± 50), as well as smaller particle size (from 10.7 to 0.27 μm) and higher physical stability (from 8.12 to 4.97 %·h-1) compared to untreated samples. To further understand the impact of the pre-treatments on the techno-functional properties of lentil protein emulsions, HPH was selected as pre-treatment due to its high performance compared to high shear mixing and the effects of 0, 15, 50 and 150 MPa on the techno-functional properties of lentil protein dispersions and on the emulsions made therefrom were investigated. The results showed that increasing the solubility of the protein ingredient by HPH pre-treatment led to a significant improvement of the techno-functional properties of the subsequent emulsions. Particularly, emulsions formulated with HPH pre-treated lentil protein ingredient at 50 MPa displayed small oil globules (from 1.40 to 1.19 μm), enhanced heat stability with less flocculation and overall higher physical stability compared to the untreated sample (from 16.75 to 2.05%·h-1). Furthermore, to better understand the colloidal stability of the emulsions at the processing conditions generally used in infant formula manufacture, the effect of combined HPH (50 MPa) and heat-treatment (120°C for 60 s) was investigated. A lentil protein dispersion subjected to HPH (50 MPa) and heat (120°C for 60 s) treatment was produced, which enabled the subsequent formulation of a high total solids (29% w/v) lentil protein-stabilised emulsion, with enhanced techno-functional properties as compared to the untreated sample, such as lower viscosity (from 19.18 to 7.43 mPa·s) and reduced flocculation, with high physical stability (from 15.11 to 1.85 %·h-1). These improvements in the physico-chemical properties can be linked to higher protein solubility, as well as reduced particle size of the protein dispersion, induced by HPH and heat treatment. Furthermore, these results highlighted that combined HPH and heat treatment can support the development of physically stable emulsions at high total solids. The novel scientific findings presented in this thesis contribute to a better understanding of the impact of processing techniques and subsequent improvement of protein solubility, for enhancing the techno-functional properties of plant protein-stabilised emulsions for use in the manufacture of sustainable plant-based young child infant formula.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationMalterre, N. 2024. Influence of formulation and processing strategies on the physicochemical properties of lentil protein stabilised emulsions for use in infant nutritional applications. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.
dc.identifier.endpage285
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/17426
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.relation.projectinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020::IA/862957/EU/Smart Protein for a Changing World. Future-proof alternative terrestrial protein sources for human nutrition encouraging environment regeneration, processing feasibility and consumer trust and accepta/SMART PROTEIN
dc.rights© 2024, Nicolas Malterre.
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectLentil proteins
dc.subjectPlant proteins
dc.subjectHigh pressure homogenisation
dc.subjectFunctional properties
dc.subjectIn-line high-shear mixer
dc.subjectInfant nutrition
dc.subjectEmulsions
dc.titleInfluence of formulation and processing strategies on the physicochemical properties of lentil protein stabilised emulsions for use in infant nutritional applicationsen
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD - Doctor of Philosophyen
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