Nanotechnology for enhancing the production of meat-like flavour from enzymatic hydrolyzed soybean protein isolate

BACKGROUND: Enzymatic hydrolyzed vegetable proteins have been recommended as safe precursors of pro- cess flavours. However, the degree of hydrolysis limits their production on an industrial scale. Nanotechnology can enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis of soybean protein. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to use the enzymatic hydrolyzed soybean protein isolate (E-SPI) nanoparticles for producing a high yield of meat-like process flavour. METHODS: Ball milling, high-speed homogenization and ultra-sonication were used for prepa- ration of SPI nanoparticles with average range 10–17 nm. The volatile compounds were analyzed by head- space solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The odour attributes of beefy, roasty, savoury, sulphurous and overall acceptability were selected to describe the meat-like process aroma. RESULTS: The total volatiles in the headspace of the meat-like process flavour based on SPI nanoparticles showed a higher yield compared with the untreated sample. Thiols containing compounds, especially the potent odorants of meat-like flavour, were predominant in both samples. However, their yield was significantly higher in the SPI nanoparticles sample. An agreement was found between the intensity of the attributes selected and the aroma composition of the two meat-like flavours investigated. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that using protein nanoparticles as the main precursors of the process flavours is considered a new chance for innovation in nanoscience. Future studies will be carried out on improving the quality and quantity of vegetable protein nanoparticles that can be used as precursors of another process flavours.