Individual Contribution of Extrusion Processing Parameters and Protein Type on High-Moisture Meat Analogue Texture, Integrity, Anisotropy, and Protein Chemistry

A comprehensive design of experiments was conducted to study the effect of formulation (protein type and moisture content) and processing conditions (mass flow rate and cooling media temperature) on the properties of extruded high-moisture meat analogue (HMMA). The protein source and formulation moisture dictated the texture and cooking integrity qualities of HMMA. Developing anisotropic fibers depended on these parameters, with the cooling die media temperature also contributing significantly. Conversely, the extrusion parameters applied resulted in no significant differences in the chemical properties of the proteins between the extrusion treatments. However, the protein source significantly impacted the variability in the protein chemistry of the extrudates. This contrasts with the physical texture, integrity, and anisotropy attributes that depend on the applied process. These findings imply that creating HMMA with robust texture and fibrous anisotropy can be separately addressed by optimizing the formulation chemistry and physical deformation of the melt during cooling.