Chickpea aquafaba protein modified by plasma-activated water for egg replacement: Impact on protein structure, functional properties, and rheology.

Aquafaba, a chickpea cooking liquid and egg-white substitute, is limited by its low protein concentration and diluted dispersion state. This study evaluated plasma-activated water (PAW) during chickpea cooking to improve aquafaba functionality. Treatments used PAW generated for 0, 3, 5, or 10 min (control, P3, P5, and P10). Exposed sulfhydryl content decreased from 20.21 to 14.40 μmol/g protein, whereas acidified water increased it to 24.24 μmol/g protein, indicating that acidification alone did not explain this decrease; SDS-PAGE showed no migration-profile changes. P5 exhibited the smallest particle size, whereas P10 showed the highest foaming capacity (303.3%) and 150-min foam stability (75.2%). Emulsion stability was also higher in P5 and P10. The consistency index increased 2.7-fold, storage modulus increased from 18.5 to 28.7 Pa, and yield strain increased. PAW-treated aquafaba reduced dacquoise hardness and fracturability and increased specific volume, supporting its overall potential as an egg-white replacer in aerated vegan bakery products.