Low water solubility strictly limits the application potential of such plant-derived proteins as rice proteins (RPs) and walnut proteins (WPs), albeit their nutritional and health-related properties. In this study, by simply dissolving RPs and WPs at pH 12 prior to neutralization, we successfully prepared nanoscale hydrocolloidal composites with shared internal molecular arrangements, boosting the solubility of RPs to over 80% (w/v) while completely solubilizing WPs. Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed that the two polypeptide chains were packed into homogeneous particles with a diameter ranging from 50 to 100 nm. Varying the mass ratio of RPs/WPs enabled the flexible or rigid chain configuration, which was confirmed by static and dynamic light scattering. The results from zeta-potential and surface hydrophobicity demonstrated that the burial of hydrophobic groups and the exposure of charged moieties stipulated the aqueous stability of the protein composites. The apigenin encapsulated in protein composites showed preferable aqueous solubility. Moreover, the improvement of bioaccessibility of apigenin was proved by in vitro simulated digestion experiment. This study provided a new route for utilizing underdeveloped protein resources, especially those with hydrophobic attributes, and potentially expanding the applications of these proteins in the fields of food and related areas.

低水溶性严格限制了诸如大米蛋白 (RPs) 和核桃蛋白 (WPs) 等植物来源蛋白质的应用潜力，尽管它们具有营养和健康相关的特性。在这项研究中，通过在中和之前在 pH 12 下简单地溶解 RPs 和 WPs，我们成功地制备了具有共享内部分子排列的纳米级水胶体复合材料，将 RPs 的溶解度提高到超过 80% (w/v)，同时完全溶解 WPs。原子力显微镜和透射电子显微镜表明，两条多肽链被包装成直径为50-100 nm的均质颗粒。改变 RPs/WPs 的质量比可以实现柔性或刚性链配置，这通过静态和动态光散射得到证实。zeta 电位和表面疏水性的结果表明，疏水基团的掩埋和带电部分的暴露决定了蛋白质复合材料的水性稳定性。包裹在蛋白质复合物中的芹菜素显示出较好的水溶性。此外，体外模拟消化实验证明了芹菜素生物可及性的提高。该研究为利用欠发达的蛋白质资源，特别是具有疏水性的蛋白质资源提供了一条新途径，并有可能扩大这些蛋白质在食品及相关领域的应用。包裹在蛋白质复合物中的芹菜素显示出较好的水溶性。此外，通过体外模拟消化实验证明了芹菜素的生物可及性的提高。该研究为利用欠发达的蛋白质资源，特别是具有疏水性的蛋白质资源提供了一条新途径，并有可能扩大这些蛋白质在食品及相关领域的应用。包裹在蛋白质复合物中的芹菜素显示出较好的水溶性。此外，通过体外模拟消化实验证明了芹菜素的生物可及性的提高。该研究为利用欠发达的蛋白质资源，特别是具有疏水性的蛋白质资源提供了一条新途径，并有可能扩大这些蛋白质在食品及相关领域的应用。