Non-thermal processing for regulating protein structural and functional properties: A review on delivery carrier construction.

Non-thermal processing (NTP) technologies attract interest because they can reshape food components without heat damage. The rising demand for sustainable proteins drives the use of proteins from plants, insects, and microalgae. These proteins often exhibit limited structural stability, potential allergenicity, and poor processing adaptability. These limitations continue to hinder their broader application in food systems. This review introduces key NTP technologies, including high hydrostatic pressure, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, and cold atmospheric plasma. These methods can modify protein structural properties at room temperature. They can also improve solubility, emulsification, and gelation while keeping most nutritional and bioactive properties. The review further examines how NTP changes protein structure-function relationships. However, the underlying mechanisms, scale-up strategies, and safety risks remain insufficiently understood. Future work should therefore clarify these mechanisms, combine NTP with other processing methods, and assess the safety of modified proteins in real products. Overall, NTP represents a promising approach for protein modification and delivery carrier development.