A holistic approach toward development of plant-based meat alternatives through incorporation of novel microalgae-based ingredients

Abstract

This study explored the changes in the physiochemical, textural, sensory, and functional characteristics of plant-based meat (PBM) after incorporating novel plant-based ingredients including spirulina (SPI), duck Weed (DW), and yellow Chlorella (YC). In the chromaticity evaluation, the YC group (YCI YC2, and YC3%) displayed significant differences (p < 0.05) in lightness (L*) indices as compared to the control. Whereas, based on concertation gradient of SPI microalgae (SP0.5, SP0.7, and SP1%) incorporated into PBM patties demonstrated that SPI 1 had the lowest values (p < 0.05) in redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) followed by SPI 0.7 and SPI 0.5% concentration, respectively. The concentration gradient of the YC group indicated that YC3 was intended to be the highest crude fat value followed by YC2 and YCI. The ash content in PBM patties increased considerably (p < 0.05) as the concentration level of microalgae advanced in all treated groups. Based on the concentration level of YC incorporated microalgae into PBM patties indicated that YC 3 had the highest (p < 0.05) gumminess and chewiness while YC 1 had the lowest reported values in terms of gumminess and chewiness. Moreover, springiness and cohesiveness showed considerable differences between SPI and YC groups. In the sensory evaluation, SPI 1 showed the lowest value only in color and appearance (p < 0.05), conversely, the other sensory parameters were non-significant among all treatment groups (p > 0.05). The micronutrient in PBM presented an irregular pattern after incorporating various ingredients. However, levels were higher (p < 0.05) in the DW group (DW 0.5 DW 0.7, and DW% 1) than those in the other groups. Moreover, the SPI and YC groups showed detectable levels of diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity with, SP 1 showing the highest level of antioxidant activity. Acknowledging the limited research on PBM production, extraction technologies, and selecting various novel suitable ingredients in meat substitutes. Hence, to fill this knowledge gap an attempt has been made to incorporate various concentrations of microalgae including SPI, YC, and DW to enhance the quality and functionality of meat alternatives. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that describes the physiochemical, textural, sensory, and nutritional attributes of PBM incorporated with novel microalgae. Collectively these results indicate that the incorporation of SPI, DW, and YC may improve the quality of PBM without showing deleterious outcomes on the quality and functionality of the ultimate PBM products.

Microalgae Proteins as Sustainable Ingredients in Novel Foods: Recent Developments and Challenges

“…More structured gels obtained upon temperature increase (70-90 • C) [26] Cheese analogue Chlorella vulgaris Improved protein, carbohydrate, and fiber contents Product with more firmness and strong network [94] Enriched dehydrated soup Spirulina platensis High in protein, fiber, lipids, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content [142] Occurrence of a characteristic green color and herb flavor Good consumer acceptability and intent to purchase Broccoli soup Spirulina sp., Chlorella sp., or Higher concentration of bioaccessible polyphenols [143] Tetraselmis sp. Higher consumer acceptance (70%) Vegan kefir Spirulina platensis High lactobacilli and lactococci count [92] Increased total phenolic content of kefir Decreased pH Soy protein isolate hydrogel (SPI) Spirulina platensis Improved rigidity and compactness of SPI hydrogel [121] Plant-based meat alternatives Spirulina and Chlorella Higher gumminess and chewiness [144] Vegetable creams Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina), Chlorella vulgaris, Tetraselmis chui, or Nannochloropsis oceanica Improved protein content and amino acid nutritional profile. No significant differences in protein digestibility [145] Vegan oil-in-water emulsion Spirulina platensis Interesting rheological parameters compared with a more traditional protein source such as chickpea [146]…”