Impact of cold-plasma on the nutritional, textural and structural properties of soy and pea protein isolate for the development of plant-based noodles

The current study aimed to modify pea protein isolate (PPI) and soy protein isolate (SPI) using Cold Plasma (CP) and to assess the impact of this treatment on protein functionalities. These modified isolates were used to prepare plant-based noodles (PBNs) using a noodle-making machine. SPI and PPI powder were treated at 30 kV (4 and 6 min) and their characteristics like water and oil holding capacities, bulk density, foaming and rheological properties, colour and particle size analysis, and electrophoretic patterns were evaluated. Rheological analysis demonstrated that G ' > G '' for both CP-treated gels, although the G' values for SPI were lower than those for PPI in both native and plasma-treated samples. The CP-treated isolates had larger particle size than native ones. PPI was used as a replacement flour at 10-60% concentration with SPI and other ingredients to prepare noodles. Cooking time (CT), solid loss (SL), and water absorption ratio textural properties of CP-treated noodles were reported. The CT and SL decreased with PPI substitution and based on these characteristics S30/P40 sample was chosen as the best plant-based noodle formulation. The CT and SL for S30/P40 sample were 15 min and 4.91%, respectively. This study suggests that pea protein can be a suitable replacement for soy in noodles to improve cooking and textural characteristics. PBNs can be considered a low glycaemic index food for people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.