How texturizing rice protein changes amino acids and digestibility in lab tests
What it found
Texturizing rice protein in lab tests made more of its amino acids available for digestion, but reduced the essential amino acid lysine.
Rice protein held up better to this process than pea protein.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Better overall digestion in lab
In lab digestion tests, pushing the proteins through the heated machine made more of the total protein available to be broken down. This was true for rice protein, pea protein, and the mix of both.
Lysine loss from heating
The heating process cut the amount of lysine that could be absorbed. In lab tests, textured pea protein lost 23.4% of its lysine, while textured rice protein did not show a significant drop.
Rice protein stayed stable
Rice protein handled the heat and pressure better than pea protein. It kept a more balanced set of amino acids after being shaped into a meat-like texture.
Non-essential amino acids improved
Lab tests showed that texturizing raised the availability of non-essential amino acids. Isolated samples released between 49 and 60%, while textured samples released between 67 and 70%.
Mixing pea and rice
Combining pea and rice protein at a 50:50 ratio gave results falling between the two on their own. The mix did not significantly raise the total availability of essential amino acids compared to using either one alone.
What the authors conclude
- They say that texturizing plant proteins is a useful way to improve how well they are digested and how many amino acids become available.
- They note that the process harms lysine, so manufacturers need to adjust the heat and pressure settings to limit nutrient losses.
- They point out that rice protein holds up better during this shaping process than pea protein does.
How it was done
More people are eating plant proteins instead of meat, so food makers use heat and pressure to give them a meat-like texture. The authors wanted to see if this shaping process changes how well the body can break down and absorb the nutrients in rice and pea protein.
They took pea protein powder, rice protein powder, and a 50:50 mix of both, adding water until each reached 30% moisture. They pushed these through a heated machine to create textured versions, then used a lab model of human digestion to measure how much protein and amino acids could be broken down.
What it can’t tell you
- These tests were done in lab glassware simulating digestion, not in living people.
- Scientists do not yet know if the same changes happen when you eat textured rice protein in a meal.
- The study also cannot show long-term effects on health from eating these processed proteins.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Murcia, Spain; Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain
The paper
- Title
- Effect of protein texturization on amino acids and protein in vitro bioaccessibility of pea and rice protein
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Peñaranda I, Garrido MD, García-Segovia P, Martínez-Monzó J, Igual M (2025). Effect of protein texturization on amino acids and protein in vitro bioaccessibility of pea and rice protein. Food & function. doi:10.1039/d4fo04829fFree full textPubMed 39928108DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error