Improving the structure of lentil proteins during fermentation and their association with nutritional values and solubility

Lentil proteins (LPs) may encounter challenges in their food industry applications due to certain limitations in their functional properties. This study focused on enhancing the quality of LPs through physical modifications and investigating the effects of a 24-hr fermentation process with <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i>. The protein structures of LPs were analysed using several techniques, including ultraviolet spectra, fluorescence spectra, and FT-IR spectra, respectively, resulting in the protein structure of LPs substantial modifications (<i>p <</i> 0.05) during the fermentation procedure. protein surface properties of fermented LPs, including surface charge and surface hydrophobicity, changed significantly (<i>p <</i> 0.05) from -23.03 to -32.70 mV and 860.30 to 600.6 a.u., respectively. Using <i>Lactobacillus</i> by fermentation processes can offer several benefits, particularly in enhancing the digestibility, protein structure, and nutritional values of LPs.