The heat-induced denaturation and aggregation of mixed pea globulins (8%, w/w) were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), SDS-PAGE, and size-exclusion chromatography (SEC-HPLC). DSC data showed that the pea proteins denaturation temperature (T(d)) was heating-rate dependent. The T(d) value decreased by about 4 °C by lowering the heating rate from 10 to 5 °C/min. The SDS-PAGE analysis revealed that protein denaturation upon heating at 90 °C was mainly governed by noncovalent interaction. The SEC-HPLC measurements indicated that low-denatured legumin (≈350-410 kDa) and vicilin/convicilin (≈170 kDa) globulins were heat-denatured and most of their subunits reassociated into high-molecular weight, soluble aggregates (>700 kDa). The addition of N-ethylmaleimide slightly modified the aggregation route of pea globulins. However, partially insoluble macroaggregates were produced in the presence of dithiothreitol, reflecting the stabilizing effect of disulfide bonds within legumin subunits.

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The present work investigates the formation of protein aggregates (85 °C, 60 min incubation) upon heat treatment of β-lactoglobulin (βlg)-pea globulins (Glob) mixtures at pH 7.2 and 5 mM NaCl from laboratory-prepared protein isolates. Various βlg/Glob weight ratios were applied, for a total protein concentration of 2 wt % in admixture. Different analytical methods were used to determine the aggregation behavior of "mixed" aggregates, that is, surface hydrophobicity and also sulfhydryl content, protein interactions by means of SDS-PAGE electrophoresis, and molecule size distribution by DLS and gel filtration. The production of "mixed" thermal aggregates would involve both the formation of new disulfide bonds and noncovalent interactions between the denatured βlg and Glob subunits. The majority of "mixed" soluble aggregates displayed higher molecular weight and smaller diameter than those for Glob heated in isolation. The development of pea-whey protein "mixed" aggregates may help to design new ingredients for the control of innovative food textures.