Plant-based burger patties: effect of chickpea and textured vegetable protein concentrations on their properties and in vitro digestibility

A lot of health-conscious consumers seek alternatives to animal protein that have similar texture, appearance, and flavor. However, further research and development still needs to identify non-meat alternatives. The objective of the research was to develop plant-based burger patties (PBP) with different ratios of chickpea flour (CF) and textured vegetable protein (TVP). The PBP was prepared using different concentrations of CF and TVP (25:75, 50:50, and 75:25, w/w, named T 1 , T 2 , and T 3 , respectively). Physico-chemical, textural and protein qualities of PBP were determined. The PBP had significantly lower amounts of protein (13.21 to 17.10%) compared to beef burger patties (BBP, 20.13%). Increasing the CF decreased the water activity . Samples T 1 and T 2 show similar L*-values, while T 3 shows a darker L*-value than BBP. The highest cooking loss was observed in PBP prepared from 50% CF & 50% TVP (T 2 ) and 25% CF and 75% TVP (T 3 ) . The PBP prepared from 25% CF and 75% TVP (T 1 ) had comparable textural properties with BBP. Protein patterns showed major protein bands in PBPs with molecular weight ranging between 20-75 kDa under reducing conditions. Sample prepared from 25% CF and 75% TVP (T 1 ) showed improved in-vitro protein digestibility in simulated gastric (pH 1.5-2) and intestinal fluid (pH 6-8), suggesting the absence of the protein band after 180 min of digestion. It is suggested that 25% chickpea flour and 75% TVP are optimum for making PBP based on composition and protein quality.