Structural characterization of Texturized plant proteins combining spectroscopy and microscopy tools

Abstract: Using plant proteins to replace animal-based products has been a trending area both in research and in industrial applications. Various of texturization processes are being developed to turn plant protein powder into a product that mimic the appearance and the sensory of meat, dairy or egg products. Plant proteins often go through different temperature, pH, pressure and mechanical shear conditions and interact with co-ingredients. Therefore, understanding of their structural characteristics during the texturization help to gain insights in controlling the texture of final products. Here we demonstrate the application of infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in plant protein studies. It was found that during high moisture extrusion to make meat analogues, the interface where plant protein is in contact with the extruding apparatus, higher degree of protein denaturation resulted, which helped on layer structure formation. When mixing plant protein with other ingredients, the degree of swelling of the protein particles determines structural continuity in the texturized product.