Water-Soluble Legume Protein Purification for High Yield and Solubility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to produce legume proteins in a completely water-soluble form with high functionality and yield on an industrial scale, due to issues such as the presence of by-products like flavonoids, aldehydes, ketones, and high fat content, which affect solubility and quality.
Innovation Solution
A method involving crushing husked legume seeds, adjusting pH to 6.8-7.5, separating solids and aqueous solution by centrifugal force, ultrafiltrating and diafiltrating with pH-adjusted water to achieve a conductivity of 30% or less, followed by preservation steps like drying or freezing to obtain a fully soluble protein solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional extraction methods are used to obtain legume proteins, then production can be achieved on industrial scale, but the proteins contain by-products (flavonoids, aldehydes, ketones) and have high fat content that reduce water solubility and functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies extraction by removing fat content through solvents and removing by-products (flavonoids, aldehydes, ketones) through activated carbon treatment. This selective removal of harmful components while retaining the protein enables high water solubility and functionality to be achieved without sacrificing industrial-scale production capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts pH parameters during extraction to optimize protein solubility and functionality. By controlling pH conditions, the process maximizes protein recovery while minimizing the presence of unwanted by-products, resolving the contradiction between yield and solubility
2Object-affected harmful factors
If degreasing methods are used to reduce fat content in legume seeds, then water solubility improves, but additional processing steps and complexity are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses activated carbon as an intermediary substance to simultaneously address multiple issues: it adsorbs by-products (flavonoids, aldehydes, ketones) and works in conjunction with solvent degreasing. This multi-functional intermediary simplifies the overall process by combining several purification functions into one treatment step
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple purification steps are applied to remove by-products and increase purity, then protein functionality improves, but production time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines degreasing, by-product removal, and purification steps into an integrated process sequence. By merging these operations and using activated carbon treatment as a comprehensive purification step, the process achieves high protein purity (90% or more) while maintaining production efficiency and avoiding excessive complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Results in highly functional, completely water-soluble legume proteins with high solubility and emulsifying properties, suitable for various applications including food and cosmetics, with improved purity and reduced wastewater pollution.
Implementation Method 1
The protein-containing solution is ultrafiltrated and diafiltered with water adjusted to a pH value of 7.5-8.2
Implementation Method 2
separating the slurry into solids and an aqueous protein solution by centrifugal forces or filtration
Data Source
AI summary
Large scale produced water-soluble legume proteins and obtained by: Crushing legume seeds, if necessary, degreasing the crushed legume seeds; Mixing the crushed legume seeds with water to produce a legume slurry; Adjusting the pH value of the legume slurry to a pH value between 6.8 and 7.5, preferably between 7.0 and 7.4; Separating starch and fibers by centrifugation or filtration to produce an aqueous protein solution as supernatant; Adjusting the pH value of the separated protein solution to a pH value between 7.2 and 8, Ultrafiltrating the pH-adjusted protein solution; Diafiltrating the ultrafiltration retentate with water with a pH value of 7.5-8.2 to a conductivity of the diafiltrate of no more than 30% of the conductivity of the permeate without diafiltration, i.e., to a conductivity of 1-3 mS/cm; Obtaining the diafiltered ultrafiltration protein retentate; and drying, cooling or freezing the ultrafiltration retentate, and a method for its production.