Malnutrition is a public health concern and chronic protein malnutrition is prevalent in early childhood in many developing countries. Plant proteins are good candidates for meeting the growing protein needs. RuBisCo (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is a photosynthetic enzyme that exists in 4 forms (I, II, III, and IV), with form I being characteristic of higher plants. Form I RuBisCo represents 50% of leaf proteins, and is, therefore, important as a source of protein for nutrition and as a functional ingredient, although the laborious extraction process for plant proteins can limit their use in food products. Column chromatography is the most effective RuBisCo purification step for laboratory research, while ultrafiltration has shown prospects for large-scale applications. RuBisCo has excellent solubility in alkaline pH and at low denaturation temperatures. Thus, RuBisCo can form brittle gels at low concentrations, which can influence the chemosensory properties of products containing the proteins. Foaming of RuBisCo occurs around its isoelectric point, while emulsifying capacity proportionally increases with pH. Heating prior to emulsification increased the strength and stability of emulsion formed with RuBisCo.The protein is also attractive due to its high nutritional values and in vitro digestibility. Furthermore, RuBisCo is a competitive source of bioactive peptides with opioid-like, memory-enhancing, appetite-stimulating, antioxidative, and antihypertensive properties, demonstrating the wide range of food applications where RuBisCo can be utilized.

Arabinoxylan (AX) is an essential component of dietary fiber with potential prebiotic properties. However, owing to its complex structure, fermentation of AX by gut microbes is structure dependent. In this study, we evaluated the effect of bioengineered wheat AX on the metabolism and composition of gut microbiota using an in vitro fermentation model. We compared the effect of bioengineered AX with that of untreated AX and a control. Structurally modified AX did not significantly alter gut microbiome composition within 48 h of treatment; however, it enhanced the abundance of health-promoting bacterial taxa, such as Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Anaerofustis, and Eubacterium. Furthermore, the bioengineered AX significantly increased the level of acetate produced over 24 h. The amount of microbiota-generated butyrate was significantly increased 24 h after adding α-L-arabinofuranosidase-treated AX. AX treated with the α-L-arabinofuranosidase B25 enzyme induced higher levels of production of total short-chain fatty acids by the microbiota from four donors. The results of this study provide evidence that enzymatic structural modification of AX has the potential to modulate gut microbiome composition and metabolic activities.