Cereal Proteins

Cereal-derived proteins offer a sustainable solution to the rising global food demand. A comprehensive examination of cereal proteins that emphasises their structural characteristics, modification methods, biological activities, and use in food systems highlights the aggregation tendencies. These tendencies can impede certain functional properties of proteins due to disulphide bonds and other interactions. Novel approaches like enzymatic treatments and physical processes (such as ultrasonic techniques) can improve their functional attributes by altering the structures of proteins. This chapter will focus on novel modification techniques aimed at enhancing the functional characteristics of plant proteins. This will address the crucial need for an efficient utilisation strategy for proteins sourced from cereals and pseudocereals, considering the growing environmental impact of animal protein production. This chapter will enquire about the bioactive characteristics of plant proteins, including their antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-tumoural activities and their use in developing meat analogues, dairy substitutes, baked products, and 3D-printed meals. However, challenges in reproducing the sensory characteristics, along with consumer apprehensions, highlight the necessity for targeted research to address these obstacles and enhance the appeal and acceptance of cereal proteins. This chapter will compare cereal proteins’ composition diversity, nutritional profiles, digestibility, environmental effects, and consumer acceptance. Nevertheless, focusing on the evaluative criteria for using plant proteins as sustainable, nutritional, and functional ingredients while promoting research to address sensory and functional obstacles to enhance consumer acceptability and marketability will also be covered.