Pea protein composition, properties and use in foods
What it found
Pea protein is a relatively new plant protein used as a functional ingredient worldwide.
It has four main protein classes and a well-balanced amino acid profile with high lysine.
What they found
Four protein classes
Pea protein contains four major classes: globulin, albumin, prolamin and glutelin. Globulin and albumin are the main storage proteins in pea seeds.
Globulin and albumin
Globulin dissolves in salt solutions and splits further into legumin and vicilin. Albumin dissolves in water and acts as metabolic and enzymatic proteins.
Amino acid profile
Pea protein has a well-balanced amino acid profile with a high level of lysine.
What affects its properties
The makeup and structure of pea protein, plus how it is processed, strongly affect its physical and chemical properties. These include hydration, flow behaviour and surface characteristics.
Use in foods
Pea protein is available, low cost, nutritious and has health benefits. It can replace soybean or animal proteins in functional foods.
What the authors conclude
“With its availability, low cost, nutritional values and health benefits, pea protein can be used as a novel and effective alternative to substitute for soybean or animal proteins in functional food applications.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say pea protein can be used as a novel and effective alternative to substitute for soybean or animal proteins in functional food applications.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This paper describes pea protein's makeup and properties. It does not report health outcomes in people.
- It does not compare pea protein with other proteins in human trials.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Canada; Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Sciences, P.R. China; Lacombe Research and Development Centre, Canada
The paper
- Title
- Composition, physicochemical properties of pea protein and its application in functional foods
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Lu ZX, He JF, Zhang YC, Bing DJ (2020). Composition, physicochemical properties of pea protein and its application in functional foods. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. doi:10.1080/10408398.2019.1651248PubMed 31429319DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error