Minimizing anti-nutritional factors in wet protein extraction from Swedish faba beans through the application of response surface methodology.

ABSTRACT

Faba beans, rich in protein and ideal for Swedish cultivation, are limited in food industry use due to anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) that hinder nutrient absorption. An extraction method was developed in our study to mitigate ANFs in faba beans, using aqueous alkaline methods and isoelectric precipitation with differential salt concentration. This method yielded 15.8 g of protein per 100 g of flour, with a protein concentration exceeding 83% of the total extract. It reduced ANFs like phytic acid (28.0%), lectins (87.5%), vicine (98.5%), and convicine (99.7%). Extraction conditions were optimized using response surface methodology, identifying pH 6, 2 h, and 20 °C as the most effective parameters, achieving an 86% reduction in phytic acid, closely matched the model's predictions (R2 = 0.945). This method effectively reduced ANFs, offering a sustainable approach for producing proteins suitable for diverse food products, including plant-based alternatives.