The foaming capacity of protein is an important factor affecting the quality of a series of confectionery products such as bakery products and ice cream. As a mild, low energy-consuming, and highly specific method, enzymatic hydrolysis has been applied to improve the foaming capacity of protein. However, there are few review articles on the factors influencing the effect of enzymatic modification on the foaming capacity of proteins and the underlying mechanisms. Therefore, this article reviews the foaming and destabilization mechanisms of proteins and the factors influencing them, and explains the exact mechanisms behind the effects of enzymatic hydrolysis and the characteristics of enzymatic hydrolysates on the foaming capacity of proteins. We hope that this review provides a theoretical basis for further research on the foaming capacity of proteins.

In this study, we developed a kind of γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) emulsion that could encapsulate β-carotene and egg white peptides with high encapsulation efficiency. Commonly used indicators of physical and chemical properties such as encapsulation efficiency, loading rate, and droplet size were used to evaluate the emulsion. Furthermore, we confirmed the binding condition through molecular forces and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. After that, we clarified that the binding mode between γ-CD and β-carotene was dominated by hydrophobic interaction forces, and further detected that the binding mode of γ-CD with egg white peptides was dominated by hydrogen bonding forces. The two emulsions were characterized by rheological properties, changes in environmental factors (temperature, ions, pH, and freeze-thaw), and it was clarified that the two Pickering emulsions were stable at different temperatures (up to 80 °C), ionic strengths (0−0.25 mol/L), weakly acidic and alkaline conditions, and the number of freeze-thawing times of two or less. In addition, based on the study of egg white peptide-loaded emulsions, egg white peptide-added coconut milk products were prepared and investigated, and it was demonstrated that the properties of the products were improved by the addition of bioactive peptide emulsions. Our study provided a theoretical basis for the application of egg white peptides and broadened the development of bioactive peptides in beverage products.

In order to understand the formation process and interaction mechanism of complexes between ovalbumin (OVA) and fucoidan (FUC), turbidity titration, zeta potential measurement, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and dynamic rheometer analysis were used to analyze the phase behavior and critical pH values (pH_c, pH_φ1 and pH_max) of OVA-FUC complexes. The zeta potential results showed that the that the critical pH for the formation of composite aggregates was closely related to the ratio of OVA to FUC and salt concentration. The zeta potential analysis indicated that the formation of composite aggregates was mainly driven by electrostatic interaction. As the OVA/FUC ratio increased, the critical pH shifted to a higher value. Low salt concentrations (c(NaCl) < 100 mmol/L) promoted the formation of aggregates, while high salt concentrations (c(NaCl) ≥ 100 mmol/L) significantly decreased the critical pH due to electrostatic shielding. Under acidic conditions (pH 4.5), maximum viscoelasticity was observedat an OVA/FUC ratio of 20:1 (m/m) and NaCl concentration of 400 mmol/L. Our study provides a theoretical basis for the development of functional products based on sulfated polysaccharide and egg white protein.

This study investigated the preventive effects of soybean meal peptides (SPs) and their purification peptides (GTYW) on acute alcoholic liver injury. We combined the gut microbiota, metabolites, liver inflammation, and oxidative stress indicators to explore the prevention mechanism of SPs and GTYW. Results showed that SPs, GTYW effectively improved the hepatic oxidative stress and inflammatory. Additionally, SPs and GTYW reversed the effects of alcohol on the gut microbiota, which were evident in the increased abundance of Alloprevotella, Parasutterella in the GTYW group and norank_f__Muribaculaceae in the SPs group. Non-targeted metabolomic analysis showed that SPs ameliorated metabolic disorders by regulating phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, while GTYW regulated metabolites through α-linolenic acid metabolism and phenylalanine metabolism. Furthermore, significant correlations were observed between gut microbiota, metabolites and liver indicators. These findings confirmed that SPs and GTYW can prevent acute alcoholic liver injury.