Alternative Food Proteins: Molecular Structure, Functional Properties, Processing, and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The growing demand for sustainable protein ingredients has driven interest in alternative and underutilized protein sources. These proteins vary widely in molecular structure and techno-functionality, and their performance in food systems depends not only on interfacial and emulsifying properties but also on solubility, gelation, foaming, digestibility, texturization, and their translation into food-product development. However, many alternative proteins possess compact native structures, limited interfacial activity, poor emulsion stability, and suboptimal functional performance across diverse processing and application conditions.

This Topic focuses on the mechanistic relationships between processing-induced protein conformational changes, oxidative modification, and functional properties, with particular emphasis on interfacial/emulsifying functionality while also encompassing other key functionalities such as solubility, gelation, foaming, digestibility, and texturization. We welcome original research and reviews that address physical, chemical, enzymatic, and biological strategies—especially ultrasound, high pressure, pulsed electric field, and cold plasma—for modulating protein unfolding, surface hydrophobicity, sulfhydryl/carbonyl balance, aggregation, interfacial rheology, gel network formation, foaming behavior, digestibility, and texturization. We are particularly interested in studies that link these structural and physicochemical changes to functional outcomes, including droplet size, ζ-potential, viscoelasticity, storage stability of protein-based emulsions, gel strength, foaming capacity and stability, digestive behavior, product texture, and overall food application performance.

Particular attention will be given to the “moderate treatment window” that balances structural unfolding against excessive oxidation/aggregation. Studies on alternative proteins (plant, algal, fungal, microbial, insect, and cell-based) and underutilized aquatic/animal proteins are welcome if they explicitly address functional properties and food applications. This Topic aims to provide mechanistic, predictive, and future-readable insights into structure–function design for next-generation sustainable protein ingredients.

Dr. Mingfeng Xu
Dr. Jie Cheng
Topic Editors