Feasibility of water-to-ethanol solvent exchange combined with supercritical CO2 drying to turn pea waste into food powders with target technological and sensory properties

Ethanol solvent exchange combined with supercritical–CO2–drying (SE + SCD), was applied to upcycle substandard peas generated by industrial processing into food powders with target technological and sensory properties. Control powders were produced by traditional air- (AD) and freeze- (FD) drying. SE + SCD promoted carbohydrate and lipid leaching, resulting in a pea powder with protein (32 g/100 g) and fiber content (30 g/100 g) higher than that of AD and FD powders. SE + SCD also caused conformational changes in hemicellulose and partial protein denaturation, as detected by FTIR. Compared to AD and FD powders, SE + SCD one was colourless and more porous, as indicated by the low density (0.16 g cm−3) and SEM microstructure. The open-pore structure of SE + SCD powder also accounted for higher water (5.2 g water/g powder) and oil (4.7 g oil/g powder) holding capability. Sensory analysis revealed that SE + SCD produced a flavourless powder, with no vegetable sensory notes.