Exploring sustainable sources and modification techniques of plant-based alternative proteins for high internal phase emulsion systems: From Camellia oleifera seed meal, copra meal, and soybean meal

Meal was a by-product of extracting oil from oilseed crops and a promising source of plant-based alternative proteins, still has limited knowledge of the functional properties of its plant-based alternative proteins. In this study, three plant-based alternative proteins extracted from meal were selected: Camellia oleifera seed protein (CSP), coconut protein isolate (CPI), and soy protein isolate (SPI), which were further modified in their structural and functional properties through ultrasound-assisted glycosylation co-treatment (U-G), and high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) were prepared. The results indicated that after modification with U-G, the spatial conformation of plant proteins underwent changes, leading to an increase in solubility (14.8%–50.4%), an increase in the absolute value of zeta potential (2mV–11mV), an increase in H₀ (305.9–327.6), and significant improvement in interfacial properties. In particular, compared to other plant proteins, CSP-U-G stabilized-HIPEs exhibited smaller particle sizes, higher apparent viscosity, superior stability, and a finer 3D printing framework. Our findings suggested that U-G was a promising approach to improving the functional properties of plant-based alternative proteins and provided valuable information for expanding the sources of plant-based alternative proteins.