Nutritional quality, sensory profile and textural improvement of mycoprotein nuggets derived from Rhizopus oligosporus with incorporation of various binding agents Nutritional quality, sensory profile and textural improvement of...
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Abstract
Today’s consumer awareness of reducing meat consumption is increasing for health and environmental reasons, driving to the exploration of alternative protein sources. Mycoprotein, one of which is Rhizopus oligosporus, demonstrates a potential as meat substitute in animal-derived product, such as nugget, due to its meat-like texture and excellent nutritional profile. However, mycoprotein nugget still lacks certain textural properties resembling meat; therefore, further improvement is necessary to perform for achieving the desired quality. The mycoprotein nugget was characterized and compared to vegan and chicken nugget from the nutritional and sensory aspects. For improving the textural properties of mycoprotein nugget, several binding agents were incorporated, including sodium tripolyphosphate, methylcellulose, and modified tapioca starch. The textural attributes of mycoprotein nugget were analyzed using Texture Profile Analyzer (TPA). The results showed that mycoprotein nugget exhibited a lower fat content, higher fiber and essential amino acid content, and better quality of fatty acid profile compared to vegan and chicken nugget. In terms of sensory profile, the overall liking of mycoprotein nugget was comparable to vegan nugget, but those still less preferred than chicken nugget. The TPA results showed that 10% of modified tapioca starch provides the most significant increase in hardness and chewiness of mycoprotein nugget. Further investigation of the mechanism underlying the functionalities of binding agents is required to discover new understandings in product development.
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References
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