Enhancing Juiciness in Plant-Based Burgers by using novel Protein Sources

The popularity of plant-based meats is increasing due to the ethical and environmental concerns of vegans and flexitarians. Despite this, a key consumer complaint about plant-based meats is dryness after cooking. Lower juiciness often results from inadequate water retention which is influenced by the functional properties of the proteins used and by lack of sufficient fat or use alternatives fats that may not distribute moisture effectively. To enhance consumer’s satisfaction, it is necessary to address this issue. This study aims to improve the juiciness of plant-based burgers by using novel protein sources including carob bean, potato, yeast, sunflower, almond, and pistachio among the others. These proteins, mainly derived from food by-products, are abundant in the Mediterranean area, making them ideal sources. The first stage of the study focuses on evaluating key functional properties of the selected proteins such as water absorption capacity (WAC), oil absorption capacity (OAC), least gelation concentration (LGC), solubility, and surface hydrophobicity to assess their suitability for texturization. Proteins with better functional properties are then subjected to freezing and extrusion structuring. The textured proteins will be then combined with hydrocolloids, plant-based oils, and other ingredients to formulate burger recipes. The final finished product will be evaluated for the physicochemical properties, including texture profile analysis, rheological behavior, cooking loss, microstructural examination and NMR to analyze water distribution. Sensory analysis, which is a fundamental part will focus on assessing key attributes such as juiciness, chewiness, springiness, taste, odor and overall acceptability. Preliminary findings showed potato protein has the lowest LGC (8%), while yeast protein does not form a gel. Carob bean protein showed good WAC and OAC, which was 5.44 and 4 respectively. It is assumed that proteins with higher WAC and OAC will enhance the juiciness and mouthfeel of the burgers more than others. To conclude, this project wants to investigate the potential of using different novel proteins to overcome dryness issues in plant-based burgers, creating a way for improving consumer liking.