Pea protein ingredients: A mainstream ingredient to (re)formulate innovative foods and beverages

Abstract

Backgroun: Pea (Pisum sativum) proteins are emerging as a popular alternative to those conventional (deriving from animal and soy) due to their high protein content with interesting functionality, sustainability, availability, affordability and hypo-allergenicity. This popularity has been parallel to an intensive research from protein isolation to their applications. Pea protein ingredients can be obtained through wet extraction, dry fractionation or more recently mild fractionation. As such, commercial pea proteins ingredients include flour (20–25% protein), concentrate (50–75% protein), and isolate (>80% protein). Beside protein content, these ingredients differ in their chemical composition, thereby affecting their functionality. Scope and approach: In this perspective, this review offers the latest update on essential knowledge for developing innovative food and beverages using pea proteins through emphasizing the production and the characteristics of pea proteins, addressing the efficiency of pea proteins as functional ingredients in foodstuffs making, and discussing the challenges encountered for pea protein popularization. Key findings and conclusions: Current research indicates the importance of developing extraction and drying technologies to reach target techno-functional and organoleptic attributes of pea proteins. A better modulation of processing steps can enable designing high-quality pea protein rich food and beverage.