Microwave-assisted Lewis acid catalysis for one-step preparation of high-performance buckwheat peptide-based films: Efficacy, mechanism, and applications

Bing Yan; Xiaoyu Yin; Mengru Yu; Jingyu Huang; Mengting Zhao; Xinyue Guan; Qi Wang; Junfeng Fan; Mengze Wang

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142663

Microwave-assisted Lewis acid catalysis for one-step preparation of high-performance buckwheat peptide-based films: Efficacy, mechanism, and applications

Food Chem. 2024 Dec 26:470:142663. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142663. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Bing Yan¹, Xiaoyu Yin¹, Mengru Yu¹, Jingyu Huang¹, Mengting Zhao¹, Xinyue Guan¹, Qi Wang¹, Junfeng Fan², Mengze Wang³

Affiliations

¹ College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Food Processing and Safety in Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
² College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Food Processing and Safety in Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: fanjunfeng@bjfu.edu.cn.
³ College of Food Science and Engineering, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, China. Electronic address: wangmengze@nxu.edu.cn.

PMID: 39752737
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142663

Abstract

This study presents a novel method for the efficient preparation of peptide-based films through microwave-assisted Lewis acid catalysis (MALC) of buckwheat globulin (BG). The MALC process efficiently degraded BG into small molecular peptides (1.6-1.8 kDa) within 10 min. These peptides formed aggregates with a high β-sheet content through coordination with metal ions, which demonstrated a strong ability to create highly cross-linked network structures. The peptide-based films (PFs), without the addition of any cross-linking agents, exhibited excellent tensile strength (1.65-3.62 MPa), elongation at break (11.52-44.61 %), superior oxygen barrier properties (0.06-2.45 cm³/m²·day), and low swelling rates (20-36 %). Notably, the PFs also possessed strong antibacterial, antioxidant, and ultraviolet resistance capabilities, extending the shelf life of fresh chili peppers by approximately 7 days. This study enhances our understanding of the interactions between transition metal ions and plant proteins, establishing a technological foundation for the large-scale application of plant protein films.

Keywords: Active food wraps; Amyloid-like fibrils; Chili pepper; Metal ion coordination; Plant protein film.