Inclusion of llaska ( <i>Cladophora crispata</i> ) flour in the development of a low-firmness meat analogue using high-moisture extrusion technology

The work proposed includes Cladophora crispata flour (Cl-F) for preparing meat analogues by high moisture extrusion (HME) and formulating a soft burger for elderly that suffer from mastication problems. Physical and textural properties of samples were evaluated instrumentally. Analogues from 10, 15, 20% of Cl-F, ~ 55, ~ 65, ~ 75% (w.b.) of final moisture content and screw speeds of 900 and 1200 rpm were processed. Firmness, color, and texture profile of analogues and burgers were analyzed. Color and statistical descriptors of texture from the gray level co-occurrence matrix were assessed through image analysis. Analogues were green. A principal component analysis reveals the complex and unpredictable analogues texture. Soft burgers from the low-firmness meat analogue ( ~ 40 N) (15% Cl-F, 75%, 1200 rpm) were prepared. Inclusion of Cl-F facilitated the preparation of a low-firmness meat analogue by HME, allowing the soft burger preparation. This serves to re-evaluate the potential of this ancestral Andean algae.