Influence of selected ingredients and process variables on quality parameters of saturated steam-assisted plant-based meat analogue

Purpose Plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) hold significant promise as a sustainable solution to meet future protein demands, replicating the taste and nutritional value of meat. However, the present reliance on extrusion technology in PBMA production limits the exploration of more accessible and affordable methods. The current investigation aims to meet the market demand for a scalable and cost-effective processing approach by exploring saturated steam-assisted technology that could broaden the production volume of PBMAs, thereby supplementing protein security and planet sustainability. Design/methodology/approach A one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) approach is employed to evaluate the effect of ingredients and process conditions on the governing quality attributes (texture, colour and sensory). Findings Among the ingredients, monosodium glutamate (MSG) and nutritional yeast (NY) significantly enhanced the hardness and chewiness of saturated steam-assisted plant-based meat analogues (ssPBMAs) followed by potato protein isolate (PPI), defatted soy flour (DSF) and salt. The addition of PPI and DSF led to a decrease in lightness (L* value) and an increase in the browning index (BI). Sensory evaluations revealed that higher concentrations of DSF imparted a noticeable beany flavour (>20%), whereas PPI (30%) improved the overall sensory appeal. Increased levels of NY (10%) and MSG (5%) enhanced the umami flavour, enhancing consumer preference. Higher thermal exposure time (TTi) (45 min) and temperature (TTe) (120 °C) during processing resulted in softer products with reduced L* values. These findings establish a foundation for selecting and optimizing the ingredients and processing parameters in ssPBMA production. Originality/value The novelty of the current study includes process behaviour of selected ingredients such as PPI, NY, MSG, DSF, salt and adopted process conditions, namely, dough processing time (DPT), protein network development time (PNDT), TTi and TTe on the quality of ssPBMAs.