Food-grade electrospinning of proteins (Reprinted from Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, vol 20, pg 269-275, 2013)

Developing non-meat food products with an appealing structure is a challenge. In this study, we investigate the possibility to produce thin fibrils as building blocks for texturally interesting meat replacers. The technique applied is electrospinning - a technique which produces thin fibrils with a high aspect ratio. The spinning of proteins is notoriously difficult and most proteins cannot be spun under food-grade conditions. Only two proteins are known to spin under food-grade conditions. Zein was spun from ethanol, and gelatin from warm water. The current study looks into the possibility of using one of these proteins as a carrier for other proteins. With gelatin it was possible to electrospin a range of globular proteins, showing for the first time electrospinning of globular proteins in a food-grade way. Next steps in the progress towards industrial application are the fixation and alignment of the fibrillar structures and upscaling of the process. Industrial relevance: The demand for high quality protein, that contains all essential amino acids, is growing. One of the challenges of alternative protein sources, such as plant storage protein, green leaf protein or insect protein, is to process it into a structurally appealing product Fibrillar structure is acknowledged to play an essential role in giving texture and bite to protein products. Techniques for structuring include extrusion or shear cell texturizing. A technique on the nanoscale is not yet available. Such a technique can yield fibrils as building blocks for larger structures and in this way mimics meat. Electrospinning is one of the techniques that could fill that gap. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.