Recent Advances in the Modification of Underutilized Pseudocereal Proteins for Improving Their Functionality: A Practical, Comprehensive and Up-To-Date Review

ABSTRACTPseudocereal proteins are attracting lot of attention due to the presence of high-quality essential amino acids. However, due to their limited functional profile, commercial use of these crucial protein sources is still a long way off which restricts their application in a number of food products. From a technological viewpoint, protein functional characteristics are very critical. Modification approaches alter the conformational characteristics of proteins and can impart desirable functional properties particularly required in different food systems. Knowledge about the functionality, structure and modification of pseudocereal proteins is very scarce. Herein, this review aims to provide an up-to-date information about the functionality and latest approaches used to alter the conformation which in turn can enhance the functionality of pseudocereal proteins thereby increasing their potential use in a number of food products. The research summarized in this review reveals that different modificational approaches like physical, chemical and enzymatic have subsequently altered the conformational characteristics followed by denaturation of different pseudocereal proteins which in turn have significantly improved their physicochemical, functional and nutritional characteristics of these proteins. Pseudocereal proteins having essential amino acid profile coupled with improved functional properties can be used in place of animal and cereal proteins in the future.KEYWORDS: Pseudocerealproteinsconformationdenaturationmodificationfunctionality AcknowledgmentsDr. Nisar A. Mir is highly thankful to the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India for providing financial support in the form of National Postdoctoral Fellowship under File No. PDF/2021/002202.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingThe work was supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board [File No. PDF/2021/002202].