LOW-PRESSURE OZONE AS A GREEN TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE THE TECHNO-FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF COMMON BEAN (PHASEOLUS VULGARIS L.)

The demand for plant-based protein sources has increased significantly in recent years due to factors such as global population growth, the need to reduce processing costs, environmental concerns, and changing consumer lifestyles. Accordingly, emerging technologies such as ozone treatment have the potential to enhance the appeal of these proteins for food industry applications. This study investigated the effects of low-pressure ozone (O₃) treatment on the techno-functional properties of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). For the experiment, 5.0 kg of beans were treated in a hypobaric chamber with a volume of 70 L. Ozone was injected until the chamber pressure reached 100,000 Pa, with an inlet ozone concentration of 61.37 mg L⁻¹ and a flow rate of 1.0 L min⁻¹, applied in ten injection cycles. Untreated beans served as the control. Samples were analyzed for water holding capacity (WHC), oil holding capacity (OHC), swelling index (SI), solubility index (SolI), foam formation capacity (FFC), and foam stability (FS). Ozone treatment significantly increased (p < 0.05) the WHC and OHC values (2.10 ± 0.14 % and 4.32 ± 0.10 %, respectively) compared to the control (1.23 ± 0.12 % and 2.95 ± 0.10 %, respectively). This improvement is likely due to ozone-induced exposure and rearrangement of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups induced by ozone treatment. These findings were supported by corresponding increases in SolI and SI, which rose by 40.55 % and 28.70 %, respectively, relative to untreated beans. Conversely, ozone treatment did not significantly affect (p > 0.05) foam formation capacity or foam stability. In summary, the application of low-pressure ozone to common bean grains represents promising green technology to enhance the techno-functional properties of bean proteins, thus increasing their potential for use in food industry applications.