Functional properties of soy proteins

Soy protein ingredients must possess appropriate functional properties for food applications and consumer acceptability. these are the intrinsic physicochemical characteristics which affect the behavior of protein in food systems during processing, manufacturing, storage and preparation, e.g., sorption, solubility, gelation, surfactancy, ligand-binding, and film formation. These properties reflect the composition and conformation of the proteins, their interactions with other food components, and they are affected by processing treatments and the environment. Because functional properties are influenced by the composition, structure and conformation of ingredient proteins, systematic elucidation of the physical properties of component protein is expedient for understanding the mechanism of particular functional traints. The composition and properties of the major components of soy proteins are summarized, and the functional properties of soy proteins of importance in current applications (e.g., hydration, gelation, emulsifying, foaming and flavorbinding characteristics) are briefly reviewed.