Abstract
The theoretical and practical aspects of the plastein reaction, which consists in the formation of a gel following the addition of an endopeptidase to a concentrated solution of a partial protein hydrolysate, are examined and the properties and possibilities of using plasteins in nutrition are discussed in detail. It is shown that valuable protein food products can be obtained with the aid of the plastein reaction from proteins with an unbalanced aminoacid composition and from chemically synthesised aminoacids. Other applications of plasteins in nutrition are discussed and the studies carried out hitherto on the mechanism and driving forces of plastein formation are considered.
The bibliography includes 143 references.