Utilizing Haematococcus pluvialis to simulate animal meat color in high-moisture meat analogues: Texture quality and color stability

Zehua Huang; Ying Liu; Hongzhou An; Zoltan Kovacs; Mehdi Abddollahi; Zhongke Sun; Gaoyang Zhang; Chengwei Li

doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113685

Utilizing Haematococcus pluvialis to simulate animal meat color in high-moisture meat analogues: Texture quality and color stability

Food Res Int. 2024 Jan:175:113685. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113685. Epub 2023 Nov 8.

Authors

Zehua Huang¹, Ying Liu², Hongzhou An³, Zoltan Kovacs⁴, Mehdi Abddollahi⁵, Zhongke Sun⁶, Gaoyang Zhang⁶, Chengwei Li²

Affiliations

¹ National Engineering Research Center of Wheat and Corn Further Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 100 Lianhua Street, Zhengzhou, Henan Province 450001, People's Republic of China; Department of Measurements and Process Control, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 14-16 Somlói Street, H-1118 Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: huang_zehua@qq.com.
² National Engineering Research Center of Wheat and Corn Further Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 100 Lianhua Street, Zhengzhou, Henan Province 450001, People's Republic of China.
³ National Engineering Research Center of Wheat and Corn Further Processing, College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 100 Lianhua Street, Zhengzhou, Henan Province 450001, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: anhongzhou@163.com.
⁴ Department of Measurements and Process Control, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 14-16 Somlói Street, H-1118 Budapest, Hungary.
⁵ Department of Life Sciences-Food and Nutrition Science, Chalmers University of Technology, Kemigården 4, Gothenburg SE-41296, Sweden.
⁶ College of Biological Engineering, Henan University of Technology, 100 Lianhua Street, Zhengzhou, Henan Province 450001, People's Republic of China.

PMID: 38128978
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113685

Abstract

The effect of Haematococcus pluvialis (HP) (0.25∼1.25 %) as a colorant during high moisture extrusion (50 %) on the texture and microstructural properties of soy protein-based high moisture meat analogs (HMMA) was evaluated. Furthermore, the stability of HP-induced meat like color of the HMMA as a function of light exposure, freeze/thawing, frozen storage and cooking temperature and duration was investigated. The addition of HP reduced the elasticity of HMMA but enhanced its hardness, chewiness, and resilience. HP addition at low levels promoted the flexible and disordered regions within the protein secondary structure while excessive HP addition was unfavorable for protein cross-linking. The optimal degree of texturization was achieved with 0.75 % HP. Sensory evaluations revealed that HMMA with 1 %HP had a color similar to fresh beef sirloin, while HMMA with 0.25 % HP had a color closer to fresh pork loin. Light exposure induced the greatest color loss of the meat analogs compared with the cooking and frozen storage. The a* value of HMMA containing 1.25 % HP decreased by 30 % during the 14 days of light exposure. Frozen storage at darkness efficiently preserved the meat-like color of the extrudates. Overall, HP was found as promising colorant for HMMA production but the storage condition of the extrudates should be carefully optimized.

Keywords: Color stability; Haematococcus pluvialis; High moisture meat analogues; Quality; Storage methods.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cattle
Cooking
Freezing
Meat Substitutes*
Meat* / analysis

Substances

atrolactic acid