Pressure, shear, thermal, and interaction effects on quality attributes of pea-dairy protein colloidal dispersions

This study evaluated the feasibility of producing stable protein colloidal dispersion by blending dairy and pea proteins using ultra shear technology (UST). The influence of different UST process parameters (shear, temperature, pressure, and interactions) on the quality attributes of milk and pea protein suspensions of different protein proportions viz., milk:pea 1:0.5, 1:1, and 1:3 protein ratios was evaluated. UST treatment was performed at 400 MPa pressure and process temperatures of 40 and 70 degrees C. High pressure processing (HPP) at 400 MPa at 25 +/- 2 degrees C and thermal treatment at 72 degrees C were conducted to study pressure-only and temperature-only effects. UST treatment reduced particle size at lower protein concentrations, however, aggregation of particles was observed above certain concentrations. For example, for the UST treatment at 40 degrees C, the mean particle size of milk:pea 1:0.5 and 1:3 protein suspensions were 2.48 and 23.06 mu m, respectively. HPP and thermal treatments did not alter the particle size of the samples. UST treatment produced stable colloidal dispersions, with no sedimentation up to 15 days storage at 4 degrees C. UST treatment created homogenous stable dairy-pea protein blends, emulsions, or gel structures depending on treatment intensity and protein concentration.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the feasibility of producing stable protein colloidal dispersion by blending dairy and pea proteins using ultra shear technology. The results showed that stable colloidal dispersions could be achieved under appropriate UST treatment conditions, and no sedimentation was observed.