Foaming properties of plant protein blends prepared using commercial faba bean and hemp protein concentrates at different faba bean/hemp protein ratios

Faba bean and hemp protein blends offer potential for the formulation of plant-based products due to their complementary amino acid compositions. This study evaluated the chemical composition, particle size, protein solubility and foaming properties of four commercial protein concentrates (two faba bean-based: FBC1 and FBC2, and two hemp-based: HPC1 and HPC2) and their blends at different faba bean/hemp protein ratios. The concentrates consisted mainly of albumins and globulins, some of which could have suffered alterations during processing, especially in HPC2 and FBC2. Both FBCs and HPCs made proportional contributions to the protein solubility observed in the blends. However, FBC1:HPC2 blends consistently demonstrated smaller particle sizes across all investigated ratios than those predicted by linear interpolation. Foaming properties of the four concentrates were comparable, except for HPC2, which did not foam. FBC1:HPC2 blends formed stable foams, whereas FBC2:HPC2 blends resulted in unstable foams. These results suggested that foam-destabilising factors were dominant in HPC2, which were counteracted by foam-stabilising factors in FBC1 and/or dilution effects. FBC1:HPC2 blends exhibited early indications of synergistic interactions, enhancing foam properties. This study demonstrates the potential of faba bean and hemp protein blends for foam-based food applications and the importance of considering their extraction processing history.