Proteome changes of tiger nut horchata drink induced by dynamic high pressure homogenization processing

There was studied the effect of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) on the protein profile of tiger nut horchata drink. There were depicted protein profile of samples obtained at 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 MPa homogenization pressures by SDS-PAGE fractionation, observing no changes up to at least 50 MPa. However, some protein alterations turned noticeable at 100 MPa and reached the maximum affectation level at 200 MPa with a clear decrease in the intensity of 6 gel bands. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that proteins moderately affected by homogenization from 100 MPa onwards were aconitate hydratase, 1,4-alpha-glucan-branching enzyme, NADP-dependent malic enzyme, triosephosphate isomerase, peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase and 40 S ribosomal protein S8. In contrast, abiotic stress response chaperone Heat shock 70 kDa was extremely damaged by HPH treatment and almost disappeared in the 200 MPa sample, eliminating its potential role as a biomarker for determining the geographical origin of the raw material used to prepare horchata drinks. HPH processing can yield minimally processed vegetable milks but it can partially affect stability of their protein-fat emulsions and hinder the detection of key abiotic protein biomarkers of authentication.

Automated summary

This study investigated the impact of high-pressure homogenization (HPH) on the protein profile of tiger nut horchata drink. Results showed that protein alterations became noticeable at 100 MPa and reached their maximum at 200 MPa, with a decrease in the intensity of certain gel bands. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed specific proteins that were moderately affected by HPH treatment, while the abiotic stress response chaperone HSP70 was severely damaged and almost disappeared in the 200 MPa sample. HPH processing can yield minimally processed vegetable milks, but it may affect the stability of protein-fat emulsions and hinder the detection of key abiotic protein biomarkers.