Determining the impact of genotype × environment on oat protein isolate structural and functional characteristics

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The effect of genotype × environment (G × E) on oat protein structural characteristics and functionality was studied using three oat genotypes grown in three different environments across the Canadian Prairies. Findings: The protein content of oat protein isolate (OPI) ranged from 76.9% to 90.2%. All structural characteristics except protein surface hydrophobicity were significantly impacted by G × E, whereas protein surface hydrophobicity strongly depended on the growing environment. SDS-PAGE and FT-IR analysis demonstrated that oat protein profile and secondary structure were significantly impacted by genotype rather than environment. Cultivar Summit grown in Alberta had the highest foaming capacity which was significantly higher than Summit grown in the other environments, indicating a strong influence of environment on OPI foaming capacity. Conclusion: The structure-function properties of OPI extracted from the given cultivars were influenced by G × E however, further studies are needed to evaluate the stability of the tested cultivars over several years. Significance and Novelty: Understanding how OPI structure and functional properties are influenced by G × E will allow better utilization of OPI in the food industry by facilitating the development of OPI ingredients with predictable functional properties.