Green technologies for the processing and production of plant proteins

Abstract: Sustainable production of plant proteins is essential to meet the increasing demand for nutritious food as the global population continues to rise. Deploying green technologies at various stages of the protein production chain can help diverse food systems and maintain a resilient and sustainable agri-food sector. Moreover, these innovative strategies provide an opportunity to develop clean-label proteins. Milder processing can improve process efficiency, functionality and quality of proteins. New laboratory-based protein extraction technologies that help retain techno-functional properties have potential applications in industry. This presentation will focus on novel technologies for processing plant biomass and producing proteins using disruptive technologies such as subcritical water extraction, microwave, cavitation and pulsed electric field. These technologies can be used alone or in combination with conventional methods to obtain a synergistic effect, either as a pretreatment or primary extraction technique. Pretreatment is important as it can impact the quality and quantity of target compounds extracted. Combinations of different technologies and extraction methods can enhance the extractability of compounds, attaining higher purity while improving process efficiency. Modern food processing techniques ensure cost-effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly production, with zero food waste seeming more achievable. Specific case studies associated with the production of plant proteins by deploying novel technologies and scale-up challenges will also be discussed.