Effects of ultrasound and airflow pulverization on the structure, physicochemical and gastrointestinal digestive properties of rice glutelin

This study explored the effects of ultrasound and airflow pulverization on the structure, physicochemical and digestive characteristics of rice glutelin (RG). Our results demonstrated that ultrasound, airflow pulverization, and the combined treatment enhanced the fluorescence intensity and surface hydrophobicity of RG, leading to a smaller and more uniform microstructure. Furthermore, the combined treatment decreased the β-sheet levels and enhanced the β-turn levels in RG, further enhancing their solubility and antioxidant activity. Moreover, combined treatment promoted the liberation of amino groups throughout the digestion and further enhanced the solubility of RG during the digestion, which correlated with the modification in the spatial structure of proteins. Additionally, combined treatment enhanced the antioxidant activity of RG during gastrointestinal digestion, and the 400 W ultrasound combined with airflow pulverization group showed the highest antioxidant activity. These findings offered new insights for enhancing the performance and applications of RG.