Understanding the Impact of Mild Wet Fractionation on Pea Starch Yield and Functional Properties

ABSTRACT Background and Objective The extraction process can influence starch yield and functionality. However, little is known of the physicochemical and functional properties of starch extracted through a mild extraction process. This study investigated the effects of a mild alkaline wet‐extraction method, based on sequential washing steps, on the composition, physicochemical, and functional properties of four starch fractions isolated from pea flour. Findings Increasing the number of washing steps increased starch purity, ranging from 71.6% to 91.4% (w/w), but decreased starch recovery from 97.4% (w/w) to 80.4% (w/w). Fractionation did not significantly influence the average median particle size distribution, with median diameter (D 50 ) values of all pea starch fractions ranging from 26.5 µm to 25.3 µm ( p > 0.05). An intermediate fraction (PF2, Pea Fraction 2) exhibited higher amylose content, amylose/amylopectin ratios, and higher peak (575 RVU) and final viscosity (780 RVU) compared with other pea fractions and corn starch, whereas the most purified fraction (PF4, Pea Fraction 4) formed gels with higher hardness (13162.9 g) and cohesiveness (0.9). Thermal gelatinization temperature (Onset, Peak, Conclusion, T O , T P , T C ) decreased with an increasing number of washing steps. PF1 (Pea Fraction 1) exhibited the highest ( T O = 72.3, T P = 73.4, T C = 74.7°C), while PF4 showed the lowest ( T O = 61.2, T P = 63.4, T C = 66.1°C) gelatinization temperatures. These findings indicate that starch‐rich ingredients obtained through fewer fractionation steps enabled pea starch to retain targeted functional properties, highlighting a trade‐off between purity and functionality. Significance and Novelty This study provided valuable insights for industry, suggesting that less‐refined ingredients, obtained through mild extraction processing, may offer novel functionality for specific food applications, potentially leading to more efficient, targeted, and cost‐effective processing.