Investigating the Potential of Full-Fat Soy as an Alternative Ingredient in the Manufacture of Low- and High-Moisture Meat Analogs

The increase in meat consumption could adversely affect the environment. Thus, there is growing interest in meat analogs. Soy protein isolate is the most common primary material to produce low- and high-moisture meat analogs (LMMA and HMMA), and full-fat soy (FFS) is another promising ingredient for LMMA and HMMA. Therefore, in this study, LMMA and HMMA with FFS were manufactured, and then their physicochemical properties were investigated. The water holding capacity, springiness, and cohesiveness of LMMA decreased with increasing FFS contents, whereas the integrity index, chewiness, cutting strength, degree of texturization, DPPH free radical scavenging activity, and total phenolic content of LMMA increased when FFS contents increased. While the physical properties of HMMA decreased with the increasing FFS content, its DPPH free radical scavenging activity and total phenolic contents increased. In conclusion, when full-fat soy content increased from 0% to 30%, there was a positive influence on the fibrous structure of LMMA. On the other hand, the HMMA process requires additional research to improve the fibrous structure with FFS.

Automated summary

The increase in meat consumption could have negative impacts on the environment, so there is a growing interest in meat analogs. Soy protein isolate is commonly used to produce low- and high-moisture meat analogs, while full-fat soy is a promising ingredient for these analogs. This study manufactured low- and high-moisture meat analogs with full-fat soy and investigated their physicochemical properties. The results showed that the properties of the analogs varied with the content of full-fat soy, with some improvements in the fibrous structure of low-moisture analogs and the need for further research on high-moisture analogs.