Methods of Testing Protein Functionality

Protein in food is important mainly as a source of nutrition; however, the ability of proteins to impart other favourable characteristics is known as functionality. Functional properties include viscosity and foam formation. Twenty percent of the proteins used in food systems are thought to be there for functional reasons rather than nutritional reasons. This book reviews the most important techniques for the assessment of proteins funtionality. It describes how to investigate the functionality that particular proteins have under certain conditions. The subject is of large and growing importance to the food industry, where there is enormous pressure to create increasing numbers of new products with improved characteristics. Industrial food technologists, chemists, biochemists and microbiologists should find this book a useful source of information, whilst students of food science, biochemisty and microbiology may use it as a reference source.