Browsing by Subject "pea protein"

The increasing awareness of consumers on sustainability issues associated to meat consumption has led to the increased demand for plant-based meat alternatives. There has been little information on the effects of dietary fibres (DF) in the formulation of meat analogues, but they could be potential raw materials due to their high nutritional value and diverse functional properties. Therefore, the aims of the study were to understand the role of processing parameters on protein-DF interaction and structure formation during high moisture extrusion (HME). Depending on the type of DF, protein, and extrusion conditions, influences on the structure can be either advantageous or cause limitations. HME was used to produce meat analogues from pea protein isolate (PI) and concentrate (PC), and 18 different protein-bran formulations were prepared with inclusion of oat bran (OB), wheat bran (WB) or a combination of both in concentrations of 5, 10, and 15%. The proximate composition of raw materials and extrudates was determined. In order to understand the effect of DFs on the meat analogues, the produced extrudates were evaluated in terms of colour, textural properties, microstructure, and protein-protein interactions. OB and WB had an influence on the formulations by decreasing the protein content while increasing the DF and starch content which could be related to changes occurring during processing. Increased tensile strength and cutting strength were observed in one direction resembling meat fibres. However, meat analogues with brans exhibited weaker structures by increasing softness. The findings on protein solubility indicated both non-covalent and disulphide bonds having a role in the structural stabilisation and fibrillation of meat analogues. However, the inclusion of brans did not have a significant effect on protein-protein interactions. In conclusion, brans have potential as raw materials in meat analogues for texture improvement. Further studies on consumer acceptance and improving process optimisation are suggested.