Physico-chemical and techno-functional properties of proteins isolated from the green microalgae Tetraselmis sp.

In this thesis, the mild isolation of an algae soluble protein isolate (ASPI) and the characterisation of its techno-functional properties are described. The ASPI was isolated from the green microalgae Tetraselmis sp. by beadmilling and subsequent anion exchange adsorption. The isolate obtained contained 59 ± 7% (w/w) protein and 20 ± 6% (w/w) carbohydrates, the latter composed for approximately one fourth of uronic acids (4.8 ± 0.4% [w/w]). In the pH range 5.5 – 6.5, in which currently used legumin seed protein isolates (e.g. soy) show low solubility, ASPI retained high solubility independent of ionic strength. In the soluble pH range, the foam stability of ASPI is superior to the foam stabilities of whey protein isolate (WPI) and egg white albumin (EWA). At pH 7, ASPI stabilized foams are 1.7 times more stable than WPI stabilized foams. Further fractionation of APSI results in foams even 3 times more stable than WPI stabilized foams. In addition, emulsions stabilised with ASPI are stable against droplet aggregation around pH 5 at low ionic strength, while emulsions stabilised by WPI are not stable at this pH. The stability of ASPI emulsions at this pH is attributed to the co-adsorption of the charged polysaccharide fraction present in ASPI. The role of the charged polysaccharides on stabilisation of the emulsions was confirmed by fractionating ASPI into protein-rich and charged polysaccharide-rich fractions. The combination of charged polysaccharides and proteins in ASPI results in good techno-functional properties that are between that of pure proteins and that of the naturally occurring protein-polysaccharide hybrid gum arabic (GA). It is concluded that ASPI represents an attractive substitute for currently used high-value food protein isolates. Due to the combination of the positive interfacial properties of its protein fraction with the broad pH stability of its charged polysaccharide fraction, ASPI possesses the positive attributes of two types of techno-functional ingredients.