Comparative Study of Physicochemical and Structural Characteristics ofMeat Analogues Produced from different Vegetable Proteins

The main goal of meat analogue production is to produce a sustainable product that recreates normal meat with allits physical characteristics (appearance, texture, taste, smell, etc.). The production of meat analogues with differentmethods leads to the rearrangement of protein fibers to produce tissues and structures similar to meat. The purposeof this study was to compare the physicochemical, textural and structural characteristics of meat analogue samplesproduced by extrusion method. In this study, wheat gluten (WG), soy protein isolate (SPI) and chickpea proteinswith different ratios were subjected to extrusion process with variable parameters of temperature, time, pressure andhumidity. Physicochemical, textural and structural characteristics of meat analogues were studied. Meat analoguescontaining ۳۰% WG showed the highest degree of texture, fibrous structure, hardness and chewiness usinginstrumental and sensory analysis. In examining the fibrous structure of meat analogues using electron microscopy(SEM), meat analogues containing ۲۰% and ۳۰% WG had a large fibrous structure that was interconnected withmuch smaller fibers. Meat analogues made with ۱۰۰% WG showed the least hardness and chewiness. However, therelative concentration of WG had little effect on the ultrastructure. Increasing SPI concentration improved the lysinecontent of meat analogues, but it was still significantly lower than steamed chicken (p<۰.۰۵). The results of proteinsolubility showed that hydrogen bonds, disulfide bonds and hydrophobic interactions were effective in forming andstabilizing structures in meat analogues. The use of WG and WG-SPI and pea protein produced acceptable pastes forthe development of meat analogues. The process of extrusion by denaturing proteins increases cross-linking andfacilitates the formation of fibrous structures and produces a better structure .

کلیدواژه ها:

Chickpea ، Extrusion ، Fibrous Structure ، Soybean ، Wheat