Skip to main content

Air Classification of Plant Proteins

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Green Protein Processing Technologies from Plants

Abstract

Dry milling followed by air classification has been widely adapted as a sustainable and energy-friendly approach for enrichment of plant proteins from various agro-materials including legumes, oilseed meals, cereals, and brans. Dry milling is a critical stage as it should optimally reduce the size of protein particles to fine levels while disentangling them from the remaining coarse starch- and/or fiber-enriched particles. Fractionation of the fine protein-rich particles from the coarse carbohydrate-rich particles can be performed as a function of their size and density through air classification. Centrifugal air classifiers are among the most commonly used modern classifiers for partial separation of plant proteins from various agro-materials. Protein enrichment level and its separation efficiency are affected by the milling types and intensities as well as air classifier wheel speeds. While moderate to intense milling speeds of ~4000 rpm were found optimal in maximizing protein enrichment of starch-rich legumes, mild milling speeds of ~1000 rpm or less were essential for optimal protein enrichment of non-starch legumes and oilseed meals. Air classification utilizes a water- and chemical-free environment with no high temperature stress and pH shifts and can produce a variety of fractions with unique functional properties with applications in novel food production systems such as 3D food printing and space foods. Air classified protein concentrates fractionated at their native states exhibited low viscosity, but improved solubility, emulsifying and foaming properties compared to wet-fractionated protein isolates/concentrates. Air classified protein-depleted fractions also exhibited relatively high water holding capacity (WHC) and gelatinization behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge NSF, Grant No. HBCU-UP RIA-1900894 for its support and Ms. Masoomeh Sherazee for assisting with the literature review.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Solmaz Tabtabaei , Raymond L. Legge or Amin Reza Rajabzadeh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 His Majesty the King in Right of Canada and The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Tabtabaei, S., Kuspangaliyeva, B., Legge, R.L., Rajabzadeh, A.R. (2023). Air Classification of Plant Proteins. In: Hernández-Álvarez, A.J., Mondor, M., Nosworthy, M.G. (eds) Green Protein Processing Technologies from Plants. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16968-7_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics