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Open research questions in Proteins in Food Systems

81 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 399 Proteins in Food Systems papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Further studies on the nutritional and health benefits of peas, - Investigation of the potential of peas as a sustainable food source, - Research on the effects of pea cultivation on soil fertility and greenhouse gas emissions

    Peas, natural resources for a sustainable future: a multifaceted review of nutritional, health, environmental, and market perspectives · 2026 · DOI

  • Future perspectives on precise structural control - Multifunctional co-delivery - Interactions with gut microbiota

    Nature’s sophisticated architecture: a strategic approach for protein-polysaccharide complexes to address the “shelf-life vs. bioavailability” dilemma of polyphenols in food applications · 2025 · DOI

  • Despite these advantages, global consumption and breeding innovation remain insufficient to meet the rising demand for alternative proteins.

    Peas, natural resources for a sustainable future: a multifaceted review of nutritional, health, environmental, and market perspectives · 2026 · DOI

  • However, their practical application is substantially limited by a central technological dilemma: the trade-off between chemical instability during food processing and storage, and low bioavailability within the human gastrointestinal tract.

    Nature’s sophisticated architecture: a strategic approach for protein-polysaccharide complexes to address the “shelf-life vs. bioavailability” dilemma of polyphenols in food applications · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on improving the structural properties and functional performance of these nanoparticles to enhance their practical application as emulsifiers.

    Recent Advances in the Mechanisms of Quality Degradation and Control Technologies for Peanut Butter: A Literature Review · 2025 · DOI

  • The effects of extraction pH beyond the extraction yield, however, has not been investigated before.

    Effects of Alkaline Extraction pH on Amino Acid Compositions, Protein Secondary Structures, Thermal Stability, and Functionalities of Brewer’s Spent Grain Proteins · 2024 · DOI

  • This review highlights the development of plant proteins from a wide variety of sources, as most of the research and development efforts to date have been limited to a few sources including soy, chickpea, wheat, and pea.

    Toward Diverse Plant Proteins for Food Innovation · 2024 · DOI

  • Similarly, no standardized methods are available to evaluate the results obtained from in vitro trials for validation purposes.

    Progress and challenges in designing dynamic in vitro gastric models to study food digestion · 2024 · DOI

  • Although much progress has been made in standardizing the biochemical environment appropriate to the food digestion process, there is a lack of standard protocols to measure mechanical forces that result in the breakdown of solid foods.

    Progress and challenges in designing dynamic in vitro gastric models to study food digestion · 2024 · DOI

  • The effective hydrophobicity of those small constituents, therefore, could not be determined by these probes.

    Evaluating and Validating the Fluorescent Probe Methodology for Measuring the Effective Hydrophobicity of Protein, Protein Hydrolyzate, and Amino Acid · 2024 · DOI

  • However, the variation of protein size in the bulk solution of acids and the effect of salts on the same have not been studied well.

    Molecular interactions of acids and salts with polyampholytes · 2024 · DOI

  • The efficacy of many edible bioactive agents is limited by their low water dispersibility and chemical instability in foods, as well as by their poor bioaccessibility, low absorption, and metabolism within the human gastrointestinal tract.

    A Review of Whey Protein-Based Bioactive Delivery Systems: Design, Fabrication, and Application · 2024 · DOI

  • However, both the in-depth proteomic investigation and structural characterization of chickpea seed proteins are still lacking.

    Mass Spectrometry Characterization of the SDS-PAGE Protein Profile of Legumins and Vicilins from Chickpea Seed · 2024 · DOI

  • Further investigation into alternative plant-based proteins is necessary to optimise sensory qualities whilst increasing protein content and the amino acid profile.

    Fortification of Pea and Potato Protein Isolates in Oat-Based Milk Alternatives; Effects on the Sensory and Volatile Profile · 2024 · DOI

  • The negative correlation between cooking yield and thickness change (r = 0.775) in extruded faba bean-oat protein burgers suggests compositional or structural factors influencing these properties during thermal processing, but the specific role of protein denaturation, starch gelatinization, or fat migration in driving this relationship in plant-based burger systems has not been characterized.

    Extrusion of faba bean and oat proteins for the application in vegan chicken burger formulations · 2026 · DOI

  • While strong correlations are observed between hardness and gumminess (r = 0.968**) and between springiness and chewiness (r = 0.872*) in the textured vegetable protein burgers, the data presented does not clarify whether these relationships hold consistently across different extrusion temperatures, moisture contents, or protein blend ratios in vegan chicken burger applications.

    Extrusion of faba bean and oat proteins for the application in vegan chicken burger formulations · 2026 · DOI

  • The chemical instability of anthocyanins under environmental stresses such as pH fluctuations, light, thermal processing, metal ions, and redox conditions. The low oral bioavailability of anthocyanins due to the harsh gastrointestinal environment. The need for effective delivery systems to improve the stability and bioactivity of anthocyanins.

    Conformation-Driven Bilayer Nanocarriers for Anthocyanins Using Shell Polysaccharides: Stabilization Mechanisms and Enhanced In Vitro Lipid-Lowering Activity · 2026 · DOI

  • The study did not investigate the specific relationship between improved cellular uptake efficiency and the enhanced anti-lipotoxic effect. Further uptake/endocytosis experiments are needed to verify the effect of nanoencapsulation on cellular uptake efficiency

    Conformation-Driven Bilayer Nanocarriers for Anthocyanins Using Shell Polysaccharides: Stabilization Mechanisms and Enhanced In Vitro Lipid-Lowering Activity · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to investigate the suitability of sorghum protein as a natural emulsifier. There is a need to evaluate the effect of enzymatic hydrolysis on the functional properties of sorghum protein.

    Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) proteins as plant-based emulsifiers: a systematic review on their functional properties and potential applications · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies can investigate the effect of different ultrasound pretreatment conditions on pea protein fermentation. The use of other microorganisms for fermentation can be explored.

    Combined Effect of Ultrasound Pretreatment and Removal of Insoluble Solids on Fermentation with Lactobacillus gasseri and Pea Protein Rheology · 2026 · DOI

  • The technological limitations of pea protein, such as low solubility and insoluble fractions, restrict its application. There is a need to improve the fermentation process of pea protein.

    Combined Effect of Ultrasound Pretreatment and Removal of Insoluble Solids on Fermentation with Lactobacillus gasseri and Pea Protein Rheology · 2026 · DOI

  • The current preservation methods for egg yolk may not effectively prevent gelation. There is a need for a method to control freeze-thaw-induced gelation in egg yolk.

    Controlling Freeze–Thaw Gelation of Egg Yolk via Enzymatic Treatment · 2026 · DOI

  • The poor stability and low gastrointestinal bioaccessibility of free lutein. The need for a scalable and sustainable method for recovering and delivering lutein from pumpkin processing waste. The challenge of replicating the dynamic physiological conditions of the human gut in in vitro digestion models.

    Structural characterization and bioaccessibility of nanoliposomal lutein from pumpkin extract · 2026 · DOI

  • The in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model employed is a static system that does not fully replicate the dynamic physiological conditions of the human gut, - The storage stability assessment was limited to 30 days, - The application of the extract in real food matrices remains to be investigated

    Structural characterization and bioaccessibility of nanoliposomal lutein from pumpkin extract · 2026 · DOI

  • The study aims to fill the gap in the understanding of the composition structure, interfacial, and antioxidant activities of flaxseed protein isolates from different flaxseed varieties. The current application of defatted flaxseed flours in animal feed or fertilizer is not efficient and high-value.

    Comparative Composition, Interfacial Properties, and Antioxidant Activity of Flaxseed Protein Isolates from Different Varieties · 2026 · DOI

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81 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 399 Proteins in Food Systems papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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