Ultrasound Treatment of Protein Functional Properties

Ultrasonic treatment employs high-frequency sound waves to modulate the functional properties of proteins across food, biomedical and industrial applications. The core mechanism, acoustic cavitation, generates microbubbles whose collapse induces intense local shear and thermal gradients. These effects can alter protein secondary and tertiary structures, reduce aggregate size and expose hydrophobic and reactive residues. Consequently, ultrasonication has been shown to influence solubility, emulsification, foaming, gelling and antioxidant activities of proteins from diverse sources including legumes, cereals, insect biomass and oilseeds. Optimisation of parameters such as frequency, power density, treatment duration and medium pH permits fine-tuning of protein conformation and intermolecular interactions. The versatility of ultrasound processing offers a sustainable, energy-efficient route to enhance mass transfer, improve product stability and develop novel protein-based materials with tailored functionalities. Recent progress has highlighted its potential to expand plant-based protein utilisation, refine insect protein texturisation and augment functional ingredient performance in complex matrices.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Studies have demonstrated that ultrasound-assisted extraction can significantly improve the yield and functional attributes of insect proteins. Optimised ultrasonic amplitudes and durations during aqueous extraction of locust biomass resulted in higher solubility and surface hydrophobicity adjustments without compromising foaming capacity. Enhanced emulsion activity and stability were achieved at mid-range amplitudes, while radical scavenging assays revealed improved antioxidative properties under specific ultrasonic protocols. Fourier-transform infrared analysis indicated subtle shifts in secondary structure consistent with more flexible conformations. These advances underline the applicability of ultrasound in valorising novel protein sources and tailoring antioxidative and interfacial performance for food and nutraceutical formulations.

Ultrasound Treatment of Protein Functional Properties publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ultrasound treatment of protein functional properties across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Acoustic cavitation: Formation and collapse of microbubbles in a liquid under ultrasound, generating intense shear forces and localised heating.

Hydrodynamic diameter: Effective size of protein particles or aggregates in solution as measured by dynamic light scattering.

Zeta potential: Electric potential at the slipping plane of a particle, indicating colloidal stability through surface charge.

Surface hydrophobicity: Tendency of protein molecules to expose non-polar amino acid residues at interfaces, affecting interactions with oils and other hydrophobic phases.

References

1. Innovations in legume processing: Ultrasound-based strategies for enhanced legume hydration and processing. Trends in Food Science & Technology (2023).
2. Effect of ultrasound on protein functionality. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry (2021).
3. Effects of Ultrasonic Treatment on the Structure, Functional Properties of Chickpea Protein Isolate and Its Digestibility In Vitro. Foods (2022).
4. Ultrasound-assisted extraction of protein from Bombay locusts and its impact on functional and antioxidative properties. Scientific Reports (2021).
5. Gelling properties of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae protein after ultrasound treatment. Food Chemistry (2022).