Meat analogues: Understanding texture from soft and tender to hard and chewy

What is it about?

Elasticity is one of the critical texture parameters of a food. We report the first systematic investigation of the elasticity of extruded, fibrous matrices based on pea protein isolate. We specifically look at the effect of water and storage time. High water content matrices turn out to be softer and high water content matrices harder. Critically, we find that, during storage in a refrigerator, the fibrous matrices stiffen up by about 45% within a couple of days, impacting the texture of the products.

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Photo by Jimmy Dean on Unsplash

Photo by Jimmy Dean on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Meat analogues based on proteins that are sourced from plants, including beans and pulses, have great potential to provide sustainable protein to a growing world population. Acceptance of such meat analogues is low, however, as the texture is not as good as "the real thing". It is critical to develop a fundamental physical understanding of the factors impacting meat analogue texture to be able to develop products that satisfy even the most discerning consumer.

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