**Conflict of interest**

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

*Modification of Legume Proteins for Improved Functionality DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96274*

*Grain and Seed Proteins Functionality*

undesired flavor markers.

**5. Conclusion**

**Conflict of interest**

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

conditions. In a follow-up study, fermentation was conducted with two different *Aspergillus* strains for 6 h and the degree of hydrolysis was reported to reach 10–11% [49]. The authors observed an increase in surface charge with increasing fermentation time whereas surface hydrophobicity was reported to decrease. Fermentation was indicated to result in negative effects on solubility and foaming properties where emulsifying properties were reported to remain unchanged. Decrease in solubility was attributed to increased protein–protein interactions and aggregation. On the other hand, water and oil binding properties were observed to be improved after fermentation. In another recent study, Schlegel et al. [50] used eight different microorganisms for fermenting lupin protein isolate. Fermentation was reported to result in no significant difference in solubility of lupin protein at pH 4.0; however, solubility at pH 7.0 decreased from ~64% to <42%. Emulsifying capacity of lupin protein was not affected by fermentation. On the other hand, foaming activity of fermented lupin protein was reported to be higher than that of native protein. Among the microorganisms studied, only two of them resulted in improved emulsifying capacity in the fermented lupin protein compared to the native protein. All microorganisms used for fermentation were found to decrease the bitterness score of lupin protein. *Lactobacillus brevis* was reported to be the most effective microorganism for improving the sensory profile as it was noted to decrease the intensity of

A variety of physical, chemical and biological methods can be applied to legume proteins for modification of their structural and functional properties. Each method has its own advantages and limitations in terms of performance and applicability in food systems. Many factors affect the performance of the modified legume proteins: protein structure and composition, modification method and processing conditions applied, and extrinsic factors such as pH, ionic strength, and temperature. Modification method has to be optimized in terms of processing parameters to obtain the desired level of functionality for the legume protein studied. Complexity of the food matrix is also an important factor affecting the end product performance of modified legume proteins. Further research has to focus on interactions of modified legume proteins with other food components during processing and storage. More studies are required to investigate the effects of modification treatments on flavor profile and nutritional properties of legume proteins.

**98**
