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With the increasing world population and vegan diet, there has been increasing consumer demand for alternative protein sources. A substitute for animal proteins is the plant protein, for instance, leaves. The Pereskia aculeata, known as ora-pro-nóbis, is undoubtedly a leafy vegetable with great potential due to its relatively high protein content (17 to 28%). This study aimed to produce ora-pro-nóbis protein concentrate (OPNPC) from ora-pro-nóbis leaves flour (OPNF) by isoelectric precipitation at three different pH's (3.5, 4.0, and 4.5). The protein extraction by precipitation in different pHs produced OPNPC with protein content and extraction yield ranging from 52 to 55% and 1–4%, respectively. Given the highest yield, the concentrate obtained at pH 3.5 (OPNPC3.5) was selected for further investigation and comparison to OPNF. The differences in color, techno-functional properties, in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD), and structural properties were evaluated. Most techno-functional properties were statistically higher in OPNPC3.5 than in OPNF. These included its water solubility, oil holding capacity, foam capacity and stability, and emulsifying activity and stability. OPNPC3.5 had a higher IVPD (80%) than flour (77%). Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed distinct compositions of materials, which can explain the difference in techno-functional properties. The findings indicate controlling protein extraction conditions as a useful technique to maximize the yield of protein concentrate obtained from ora-pro-nóbis, which was more nutritious and had better techno-functional properties than flour. This demonstrates its potential as an alternative plant-based protein to design healthy and sustainable food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat flour is the main ingredient used in the preparation of bread. Factors such as low gluten content and the addition of nontraditional ingredients in baking affect the quality of wheat flour and may limit its use in baking. With the increasing trend of "clean label" products, it may be interesting to develop and use physical processes to improve the quality of wheat flour and avoid the use of chemical additives. High hydrostatic pressure, non-thermal plasma, ultrasound, ozonation, ultraviolet light, and pulsed light treatments are non-thermal emerging technologies (NTETs) that have been studied for this purpose. They were originally developed to inactivate microorganisms and enzymes in foods. Additionally, these technologies can be used at low temperatures to modify the most important component of wheat flour, i.e., gluten and its fractions, which are responsible for the rheological properties of wheat flour dough. Thus, this review focuses on the effects of these NTETs by considering the following factors: (1) the technological properties of gluten, (2) gluten–starch interactions, (3) possible effects of NTETs on minor components of flours, and (4) the quality of wheat flour and the resulting final products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]