Texture comparison between meat, plant-based products, and cultivated meat

Texture and its importance

Image credit: Shutterstock by Antonina Vlasova

Plant-based, and cultivated meat versus meat texture

I recommend reading about flavor in my previous article, as it adds to what I will discuss today.

My main focus for this blog is comparing textures. Each product has a unique characteristic that can be measured with sensory instruments. The measurements provide hardness, elasticity, and cohesiveness results. In turn, the tests help find the maximum texture needed to provide customer satisfaction with plant-based products, and cultivated meat. Also, this helps differentiate meat from other alternatives.

Some examples of plant-based products include soy ingredients, such as tempeh, tofu, and vegetable meat analogs—like soy proteins, mycoprotein and soy leghemoglobin. As we all know, these are protein substitutes to replace traditional meats in vegan and vegetarian diets. Other ingredients are added to provide similar texture as meat. They include soy protein texturizers—soy protein isolate—and agar gels, derived from algae.

Cultivated meat, on the other hand, is a new area in the food manufacturing industry that needs further research. Let’s start by looking at traditional meat to see how it compares to other alternative proteins.

How to mirror meat texture?

The food manufacturing industry uses several techniques to get similar texture as meat. For example, a piece of meat contains fiber and fat structures, which is imitated in plant-based products. This is hard to replicate, but fiber-like structures help give alternative proteins a similar bite, and texture as meat. Not to be too technical here, other processes occur while producing the final product. This include adding heat, flaxseed, coconut, sunflower, and other fat related ingredients to provide the texture in plant-based products.

Measurements to analyze plant-based meat

To be able to mimic meat, several techniques are used to analyze alternative proteins. This helps provide more accurate information for a better understanding of texture. These include mechanical, chemical, and visual. Each one provides a certain advantage. For mechanical testing, the results give us data on the bite strength that is similar, to say, biting into an apple. Here, the bite affects texture, and finding out if the food is hard or soft helps determine the desirable level of the product. An instrument called texture analyzer helps assess the mechanical properties of the product. To analyze various food products, an instrument called spectroscopy is used to detect chemical compounds. It identifies the composition and structure of the ingredients. Lastly, visual instruments, such as hyperspectral imaging, gives a detailed analysis of the internal structure of plant-based products, and meats as well. Though this type of measurement has its limitation.

Evaluation of cultured meat with sensory tests

To be able to evaluate the texture of culture meat, several factors are changed to provide the necessary final result. Certain conditions, such as temperature, pH, and nutrient supply can be altered to provide the maximum, or desired texture for cultured meat. So, we can use sensory test to provide an identical product as regular meat.

Trends

Over the years, there is a constant change and discovery in various techniques, consumer preferences and acceptability, health claims, ingredient functionality, and digestion role of plant-based products. First, there is a concern for environmental and health issues, which is driving more demand for alternative proteins. Second, there is a need for new innovative technologies to produce an optimum texture for products. Third, understanding the mechanical, chemical and visual properties of plant-based products will lead to a suitable crunch, or softness. This will lead to an increase in consumer acceptance. Fourth, there is a need for new innovations in ingredient functionality to produce a better texture, as well as, taste and flavor. Despite all this, consumer acceptance is still a challenge. Lastly, more studies need to be assessed on the digestibility of plant-based products. This will help understand nutrient bioavailability in the product. Is there a need to add extra vitamins, minerals, and proteins? to supplement the missing nutrients, such as amino acids?

I’m not an expert in this area, and there is still more research that needs to be done. For example, on how to improve the texture of plant-based products. Personally, I have more issues with taste than texture. How about you? which one is more important to you, taste or texture?

References

1. Sha, Lei, L. Xiong, Youling (2020). Plant protein-based alternatives of reconstructed meat: Science, technology, and challenges. Trends in Food Science & Technology, Volume 102, pages 51-61. Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224420304830.
2. Ishaq, Anum, et al (2022). Plant-based meat analogs: A review with reference to formulation and gastrointestinal fate. Current Research in Food Science, Volume 5, pages 973-983. Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665927122000909.
3. Askew, Katy (2019). Meat analogues: a ‘big opportunity’ for improved quality. Website: HTTPS://WWW.FOODNAVIGATOR.COM/ARTICLE/2019/06/19/MEAT-ANALOGUES-A-BIG-OPPORTUNITY-FOR-IMPROVED-QUALITY.
4. Tyndall, Simone M., et al (2024). Critical food and nutrition science challenges for plant-based meat alternative products. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 64:3, pp. 638-653.  DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2107994.
5. Mabrouki, Sabah, et al (2023). Texture profile analysis of homogenized meat and plant-based patties. International Journal of Food Properties, 26:2, pp. 2757-2771. DOI: 10.1080/10942912.2023.2255758.
6. TA.XT EXPRESS TEXTURE ANALYSER. United Spectrometer Technologies. Website: https://us-tech.co.za/ta-xt-express-texture-analyser/.
7. NMR for Foods and Beverages. Bruker. Website: https://www.bruker.com/en/resources/library/application-notes-mr/nmr-for-foods-and-beverages.html.
8. The Use of Hyperspectral Imaging in the Food and Beverage Sector. CAPPA. Website: https://www.cappa.ie/the-use-of-hyperspectral-imaging-in-the-food-and-beverage-sector/.