Production of high-protein Indonesian velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens l.) flour using response surface methodology and characteristic analysis

Indonesian velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens L.) has potential as a plant-based protein source for high-protein food products. Unfortunately, these beans are not widely used due to their high cyanide content. This study aimed to find a new approach to increasing protein content in velvet bean flour by implementing response surface methodology (RSM) and studying its characteristics. A preliminary study showed that white-type velvet bean flour with 24-hr soaking water treatment was chosen as the main treatment for producing highprotein velvet bean flour because it had less than 10 ppm of cyanide (2.85 ppm) and had the highest protein content (32.54%). RSM findings revealed that the optimum process variables were 10% initial substrate concentration, 0.3 mL additional α-amylase enzyme, 95.15°C temperature, pH 5.6, and a liquefaction time of 50.32 mins processing. The enzyme hydrolysis method efficiently decreased non-protein components while increasing protein by 28%, which also affected the improvement of the physicochemical and functional qualities of high-protein velvet bean flour. The high-protein velvet bean flour had a yield of 30.73%, protein content of 41.83%, bulk density of 0.43 g/mL, brownishwhite color, and water activity was 0.62. Moreover, water absorption capacity and oil absorption capacity levels were 1.67 mL/g and 1.83 mL/g, respectively. The emulsion capacity and stability were 32 and 56%, respectively. Foam capacity and stability were 64 and 67%, respectively. The optimum gelling concentration was 15%, and the in vitro protein digestibility was 79%. To summarize, high-protein velvet bean flour has the potential to be developed as a food product, particularly for sausage, bread, and meat analogs.