Pea Starch: Composition, Structure and Properties — A Review

Recently, pea has developed into a major protein crop in Western Canada. In the search for new food protein resources, small commercial facilities in Canada have engaged in manufacturing protein concentrates from pea by air classification or wet milling techniques. However, the major products from these processes are either crude or refined pea starches. Pea starch has been utilized almost exclusively for industrial application. A major factor, which has an adverse effect on the widespread utilization of pea starch in food industry, it its high extent of retrogradation. This review summarizes the present knowledge on composition, structure and physiochemical properties of smooth and wrinkled seeded pea starches with a view to providing suggestions for needed research to improve the utilization of pea starches in the food industry.