Instrumental texture analysis of textured proteins for alternative meat application

Abstract: Most consumers, whether vegetarians, vegans or flexitarians look for protein options that have their preferred textures and flavors to have the best and enjoyable consumer experience. This decision can be due to numerous factors such as health, sustainability, or novelty. Although this remarkable rise in plant-based product consumption is creating considerable market growth in all aspects of food categories (alt meat, alt dairy or alt cheese), there is still a huge gap in consumer adoption with soy, alt meat only about 1% of the US retail market.

The challenges associate with consumer adoption lies not only in the fundamental understanding of protein functionalities but also in relating how protein ingredients, processing and product formulation are related to design targeted textures. In saying this, two main areas of focus for the poster are: texture design and development and characterization of the physical properties of plant proteins for use in alt burger application.

The functionality of dry or hydrated structured vegetable proteins will be highlighted with data from seven methods (critical ratio of SVP to water, hydration profile, water holding capacity, granulation, bulk density, 2D and 3D imaging via microCT) developed to determine these properties. Additionally, analytical techniques such as SDS-PAGE and disulfide bond contents were also investigated at the molecular level to elucidate how these chemistries affect the product functionality. When combined, data from these methods provided a predictive model for alternative meat burger patty firmness.

In conclusion, key properties of texture proteins such as the length of time to hydrate, hydration ratio an granulation time were found to impact the alt meat burger patty firmness in the application. These findings will hopefully inspire the audience in designing and developing plant protein food products that meet both functional and consumer texture needs.