Studies

N 003 Chemija / Chemistry
dr. Wanessa de Cássia Martins Antunes de Melo ✉

 

 

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is a promising non-thermal approach to facilitate the interactions between dairy or plant proteins with phytochemicals. This technique, which is acknowledged for its minimal heating impact, is used for preserving liquid and semifluid foods, as well as for extracting and purifying bioactive chemicals. Its significance comes from the ability to process high-protein food such as milk and dairy ingredients, including a highly heat-sensitive components.

PEF treatments influence the structural integrity of milk proteins, thereby affecting their colloidal properties such foam stability, emulsion formation, and gelling properties. This research intends to investigate and utilize the potential of PEF-based technology to alter the techno-functional characteristics of food proteins (dairy and plant proteins). This research aims to clarify how PEF affects the interaction between dairy and plant proteins and phytochemicals (such as tea polyphenols, carotenoids, anthocyanin, etc.). It aims to improve our understanding of the colloidal and emulsion properties of these protein-based systems by systematic experimentation and analysis. This work aims to provide specific examples of how these interactions might be regulated to obtain specific functional characteristics in food-based systems.