THE LONG TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO UNLOCK THE FUNCTIONALITY OF PLANT PROTEIN QUATERNARY STRUCTURES BY UNDERSTANDING THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL STIMULI LEADING TO PROTEIN DISSOCIATION AND DETERMINING THE FUNCTIONALITY OF MONOMERIC FORMS ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH POLYSACCHARIDES. THE FUNDAMENTAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT MOST PLANT PROTEINS USED IN FOOD APPLICATIONS EXIST IN THE FORM OF QUATERNARY STRUCTURES THAT DO NOT ALLOW FOR THE EXPRESSION OF PROTEIN MONOMER FUNCTIONALITY.