Adopting a sustainable, scalable, and mild extraction technology is central to the functionality of plant proteins. Optimising green technologies for protein extraction and assessing their environmental impact will aid in their commercialisation.
The plant-based smart protein industry is aiming at diversifying plant protein sources to substitute animal-derived proteins. Exploring the protein potential of untapped indigenous crops of India and mapping their nutritional and functional properties are potential areas for future research.
Exploring novel top-down and bottom-up technologies for texturising plant proteins can catalyse product innovations. Optimising the processing and formulation parameters for 3D printing, fibre spinning, and shear cell technologies can improve the commercial viability of these structuring approaches.
Alternative fat is a key building block of plant-based meat, contributing towards the juiciness, tenderness, and mouthfeel of products. Modifying molecular structures of plant-based oils to create solid fats and structuring them in combination with proteins, phospholipids, or carbohydrates are potential approaches to achieve functional parity with animal-derived fats.
Reducing food loss and waste is a key component of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3. Utilising agri-food industry residues as a fermentation substrate and extracting proteins and functional ingredients can aid in achieving a circular bioeconomy.
Protein functionality is the key to product innovations in the smart protein sector. Identifying the suitable strategy for functional modification of proteins, preferably physical approaches is the need-of-the-hour.
Crop development is the first stage of the plant-based value chain, which offers upstream solutions to tailor crops for smart protein applications. Selective breeding for crop traits that can improve its protein content, functionality, and organoleptic properties is a potential area for future exploration.
