Faba Beans Protein as an Unconventional Protein Source for the Food Industry: Processing Influence on Nutritional, Techno-Functionality, and Bioactivity

Abstract

The nutrition and food industries are investigating unconventional protein sources because of the expanding demand for plant proteins and increased knowledge of the health and nutritional benefits of alternative proteins. Proteins from faba beans are high and outperform other pulse proteins in terms of nutrition and functionalities. Raw faba beans contain numerous allergenic compounds hindering the potential for utilization in various foods. Processing faba beans by extracting of valuable compounds such as proteins enhances the applicability in different food systems and ensuring safety during consumption. Major proteins identified are globulins and non-globulin fractions with no adverse amino acids. Faba beans proteins are easy to extract however presence of pyrimidine glycoside may raise safety concerns. Faba bean proteins have useful functionalities for food applications but their solubility are minimal due to their compact protein structure. Further, different thermal and non-thermal techniques have been aimed at improving functionality and reduce allergenic proteins. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive summary on current investigation on faba bean proteins. Suggestions for improving the faba bean’s utilization are also provided to aid in its development.