Autor: |
Ben Kew, Melvin Holmes, Evangelos Liamas, Rammile Ettelaie, Simon D. Connell, Daniele Dini, Anwesha Sarkar |
Jazyk: |
angličtina |
Rok vydání: |
2023 |
Předmět: |
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Zdroj: |
Nature Communications, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-15 (2023) |
Druh dokumentu: |
article |
ISSN: |
2041-1723 |
DOI: |
10.1038/s41467-023-40414-7 |
Popis: |
Abstract With the resource-intensive meat industry accounting for over 50% of food-linked emissions, plant protein consumption is an inevitable need of the hour. Despite its significance, the key barrier to adoption of plant proteins is their astringent off-sensation, typically associated with high friction and consequently poor lubrication performance. Herein, we demonstrate that by transforming plant proteins into physically cross-linked microgels, it is possible to improve their lubricity remarkably, dependent on their volume fractions, as evidenced by combining tribology using biomimetic tongue-like surface with atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, rheology and adsorption measurements. Experimental findings which are fully supported by numerical modelling reveal that these non-lipidic microgels not only decrease boundary friction by an order of magnitude as compared to native protein but also replicate the lubrication performance of a 20:80 oil/water emulsion. These plant protein microgels offer a much-needed platform to design the next-generation of healthy, palatable and sustainable foods. |
Databáze: |
Directory of Open Access Journals |
Externí odkaz: |
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