Effect of ball-milling treatment on the structural and functional characteristics of <i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i> protein

Abstract Ball-milling is increasingly recognised as an efficient and environmentally friendly physical modification method in food processing. In this study, natural Litopenaeus vannamei protein (LVP) was subjected to ball-milling treatment for 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 min, respectively. Then, its structure and functional properties were investigated. Results indicated that proper ball-milling treatment significantly enhanced the quality of LVP by influencing its structure. Specifically, ball-milled LVP (BLVP) powder exhibited finer and brighter. BLVP subjected to 10 min demonstrated the highest solubility (22.80%), digestibility (64.50%) and foaming stability (93.69%), which were attributed to particle size and structure. BLVP processed for 15 min exhibited the highest oil holding capacity (1042.67%) and foaming capacity (17.11%), positively related to its surface hydrophobicity and sulfhydryl content. And its allergenicity decreased by 4.35%. These results provide a foundational framework for utilising ball-milling to modify LVP, suggesting that this method may enhance the industrial applications of LVP.