ABSTRACT
Food preferences by hum an beings are often based on sensory attributes such as appearance, color, flavor, and texture. Proteins play several func tional roles in the expression o f sensory attributes o f various foods. T he curd-form ing properties o f casein micelles and soy proteins, the foaming, whipping, and heat-setting properties o f egg white, the waterbinding, emulsifying, and texture-form ing behavior o f m eat proteins are im portant in many food products such as cheese, diary products, m eat products, bakery, ice cream, etc. Traditionally, proteins o f animal origin, e.g., milk, egg, and m eat proteins, have been used in conventional and fabricated foods. T he use o f plant proteins, although cheap and abun dant, in food products is very limited mainly because o f lack o f desirable functional perform ance o f these proteins in foods. T he m ajor im pedi m ent to increasing the utilization o f plant proteins in form ulated foods is the lack o f p roper understanding o f the m olecular bases for protein functionality in foods.
