Effect of Different Microwave Times on the Nutritional Properties of Glycosylated Soybean 7S

TL;DR

Microwaving soybean protein for 60 seconds improves its nutritional value and digestibility, though it may reduce flavor-related amino acids.

Contribution

The study identifies 60 seconds as the optimal microwave time for enhancing the nutritional properties of glycosylated soybean 7S protein.

Findings

Digestibility peaks at 60 seconds with 40.83% gastric and 84.29% intestinal digestion.

Amino acid scores and essential amino acid index improve after 60 seconds of microwaving.

Flavor-active amino acids decrease significantly after microwaving, affecting taste.

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the effects of different microwave times (0–120 s) at 900 W power on the nutritional properties of glycosylated soybean 7S protein. The in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion revealed that digestibility peaked at 60 s (40.83% gastric, 84.29% intestinal) and was accompanied by a significant increase in hydrolysis. Automatic amino acid analysis indicated superior nutritional quality after 60 s of treatment, as evidenced by optimal amino acid scores (AAS, CS) and the essential amino acid index (EAAI), and by a more favorable amino acid profile for human requirements. However, the proportion of flavor-active amino acids decreased from 83.05% at the initial stage to 53.77%, and the taste activity value (TAV) of fresh amino acids was lower than that of the untreated group, with limited flavor improvement. In conclusion, 60 s is the optimal time for nutritional optimization, which can improve protein digestibility and nutritional value, and the risk of flavor degradation should be considered.

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