Structure, texture, and sensory properties of plant-meat hybrids produced by high-moisture extrusion

Hybrid products, in which a portion of meat is replaced with plant proteins, could be an effective solution to reduce meat consumption and its environmental impact, and provide well-balanced nutritious food. This study focused on exploring the potential of creating hybrid meat products by high-moisture extrusion from a mixture of minced beef (with 7 or 17% fat) and two different commercial pea protein ingredients. Hybrid extrudates were successfully produced from a 1:1 mixture of beef and either pea protein isolate (PI) or milled texturised pea protein concentrate (TPC). Differences in the appearance, texture and sensory properties of the hybrid extrudates depended both on ingredient properties and extrusion processing parameters (especially temperature). Extrudates with beef and PI were softer and layered, while extrudates with beef and TPC were harder and had smaller fibres. The fat content of the beef did not significantly affect the textural properties of the extrudates. The extrudates with beef and TPC had a meat-like odour and umami taste, while extrudates with beef and PI had a dominant pea-like taste and odour.