The interest in plant-based products is growing in Western countries, mostly due to health and environmental issues that arise from the consumption and production of animal-based food products. Many vegan products today are made from soy, but drawbacks include the challenges of cultivating soy in colder climates such as northern Europe. Therefore, the present study investigates whether industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) could substitute soy in the production of high moisture meat analogues (HMMA). A twin screw co-rotating extruder was used to investigate to what extent hemp protein concentrate (HPC) could replace soy protein isolate (SPI) in HMMAs. The substitution levels of HPC were 20 wt%, 40 wt% and 60 wt%. Pasting properties and melting temperature of the protein powders were characterized by Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC), respectively and the produced HMMA was analysed by determining the texture and colour attributes. The results showed that it is possible to extrude a mixture with up to 60% HPC. HPC absorbed less water and needed a higher denaturing temperature compared to SPI. Increasing the moisture content by 5% would have resulted in a reduction of hardness and chewiness. The lightness (L* value) was found to be significantly higher in SPI product and decreased in the mixture with higher HPC (p < 0.05).

Yellow pea and faba bean are potential candidates to replace soybean-based ingredients due to their suitability for cultivation in the northern hemisphere, non-genetically modified organisms cultivation practice and low risk of allergenicity. This study examined the functionality of local yellow pea and faba bean protein isolates/concentrate as meat analogue products. The most critical factors affecting the texture properties of meat analogue were also determined. Extrusion was used to produce high-moisture meat analogues (HMMAs) from yellow pea and faba bean protein isolates/concentrates and HMMAs with fibrous layered structures was successfully produced from both imported commercial and local sources. The texture properties of the HMMA produced were mainly affected by the ash, fiber and protein content and water-holding capacity of the source protein. Three extrusion process parameters (target moisture content, extrusion temperature, screw speed), also significantly affected HMMA texture. In conclusion, functional HMMA can be produced using protein isolates derived from locally grown pulses.

Rapeseed protein is not currently utilized for food applications, although it has excellent physicochemical, functional, and nutritional properties similar to soy protein. Thus, the goal of this study was to create new plant-based extrudates for application as high-moisture meat analogs from a 50:50 blend of rapeseed protein concentrate (RPC) and yellow pea isolate (YPI) using high-moisture-extrusion (HME) cooking with a twin-screw extruder to gain a better understanding of the properties of the protein powders and resulting extrudates. The effects of extrusion processing parameters such as moisture content (60%, 63%, 65%, 70%), screw speed (500, 700, and 900 rpm), and a barrel temperature profile of 40–80–130–150 °C on the extrudates’ characteristics were studied. When compared to the effect of varying screw speeds, targeted moisture content had a larger impact on textural characteristics. The extrudates had a greater hardness at the same moisture content when the screw speed was reduced. The specific mechanical energy (SME) increased as the screw speed increased, while increased moisture content resulted in a small reduction in SME. The lightness (L*) of most samples was found to increase as the target moisture content increased from 60% to 70%. The RPC:YPI blend was equivalent to proteins produced from other sources and comparable to the FAO/WHO standard requirements.

During the production of industrial hempseed oil, a press cake is formed as a byproduct, which is often used as animal feed although it contains a high amount of protein that could be used for human consumption. Extracting this valuable protein would reduce food waste and increase the availability of plant‐based protein. A protein extraction process based on the pH‐shift method was adapted to improve the protein extraction yield from industrial hempseed press cake (HPC). Parameters such as alkali extraction pH, time, and temperature, as well as isoelectric precipitation pH, were investigated in laboratory scale and were thereafter carried out in a pilot trial to explore the suitability for future scale up. The phytic acid content of the extracted protein isolate was also analyzed to investigate any potential inhibitory effect on mineral absorption. A final protein yield of 60.6%, with a precipitated protein content of 90.3% (dw), was obtained using a constant alkali extraction pH of 10.5 for 1 h at room temperature, followed by precipitation at pH 5.5. The pilot trial showed promising results for the future production of industrial hemp protein precipitate on a larger scale, showing a protein yield of 57.0% and protein content of 90.8% (dw). The amount of phytic acid in the protein isolate produced in the optimal laboratory experiment and in the pilot trial was 0.595 and 0.557 g phytic acid/100 g dw, respectively, which is 83%–88% less than in the HPC. This is in the range of other plant‐based protein sources (tofu, kidney beans, peas, etc.). Practical Application Industrial hempseed press cake is a byproduct in the production of industrial hempseed oil, which is mostly used as animal feed, but has the potential to become an additional source of plant‐based protein for human consumption with a suitable protein extraction method. The extracted hemp protein could be used to develop new plant‐based dairy or meat analog products.

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