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The number of plant‐based meat products on supermarket shelves around the world has grown in recent years however reproducing the sensory experience of eating meat remains a challenge. This study aims to evaluate the sensory gaps between animal and plant‐based meat products, specifically burger‐type products, from the Australian market. The sample set of 19 commercially available burgers comprises 8 animal‐based burgers prepared using beef, chicken, kangaroo, pork, or turkey and 11 high protein plant‐based burgers. Vegetable patties are beyond the scope of this study. A trained sensory panel (n = 14) determined the major differences in aroma, texture, flavor, and aftertaste between meat and meat analogues during oral processing, particularly those that may impact consumer acceptability. The animal‐based burgers scored high for meaty (aroma), meaty (flavor), and umami but not legume, vegetative, bitterness, and lingering spice attributes. They also received higher average scores for juiciness, fattiness, and final moistness than the plant‐based burgers but scored lower in cohesiveness. The plant‐based burgers scored high for legume and bitterness but not meaty (aroma), meaty (flavor), and umami attributes. Improving current products and designing new products with desirable sensory properties will enhance consumer acceptability and reinforce recent growth in the plant‐based meats market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer interest in alternative plant‐based foods is growing, including products where plant proteins are isolated and reformulated to mimic meat. This study aims to investigate the fundamental changes in sensorial (textural) properties between meat and plant proteins using a hybrid protein burger matrix. Burger patties were used as a model, prepared with a range of protein composition (beef: plant‐based protein; 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100) with identical added fat (17%) and at two salt (0 and 0.6%) contents. Conventional sensory descriptive profiling elicited 21 sensory attributes and profiles of samples were obtained to explore relationship(s) with composition. Early‐stage oral processing texture attributes were well‐differentiated across the sample space, while less discrimination was observed across samples for latter stage mastication texture attributes. Animal meat content increased scores for saltiness and flavor intensity indicating that plant‐based meat analogues require a higher salt content to achieve similar levels of salt and flavor perception. These findings provide key insights into the impact of meat and/or plant‐based protein composition on sensory properties in a hybrid burger patty model system. Future work should consider the mechanical properties of such products with the objective of finetuning ingredients and processing to obtain meat analogues with desirable sensorial attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss food oral processing research over the last two decades and consider strategies for quantifying the food breakdown model, originally conceptualized by Hutchings and Lillford. The key innovation in their seminal 1988 paper was shifting the focus from intact food properties, measured in the lab, toward strategies to capture the dynamic nature of eating. This has stimulated great progress in the field, but a key aspect missing in oral processing research is the conversion of the Hutchings and Lillford breakdown path conceptual model into quantifiable parameters considered in the context of physiological factors such as saliva and oral movements. To address these shortcomings, we propose the following analysis: Hutchings's and Lillford's definitions of "Structure" and "Lubrication" are incomplete and they comprise many and varied physicochemical properties. We offer, here, a deeper analysis of each parameter, and propose strategies for researchers to consider in their quantification as an update of the Hutchings and Lillford Breakdown path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Food‐grade fibers were fabricated from dispersions of maltodextrin and whey protein isolate (WPI) using needleless electrospinning. Two maltodextrins (DE 2) from different starch sources were used and the maltodextrin/WPI ratio was varied. Molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity, entanglement concentration, shear stability, and electrical conductivity were studied as function of maltodextrin type and mixing ratio and correlated to fiber production rate and morphology. The results show that a high molecular weight of the maltodextrin was beneficial to its spinnability. Waxy potato starch maltodextrin (P‐MD) (Mw = 129.6 kDa) and WPI produced fibers with diameters between 1.40 and 1.67 µm at production rates up to 1.65 g/h; while the dispersions with waxy maize starch maltodextrin (M‐MD) (Mw = 85.9 kDa) showed poor spinnability and ruptured fibers. P‐MD/WPI dispersions had a higher viscosity and stronger shear thinning behavior attributed to a stronger entangled polymer network which is beneficial to electrospinning. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46328. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Oral processing of solid foods is a highly dynamic and complex process; this creates a major challenge to elucidate the role of various components, hierarchical structures and phases on foods’ organoleptic properties. Textural properties of brittle foods at first bite (e.g., ‘crispiness’) can be predicted from the foods’ mechanical properties, but, beyond this, we cannot rationally design food because comminution transforms it through chewing as well as mixing, dilution, hydration and enzymatic breakdown in saliva. In order to overcome these challenges, in this work we use a combination of confocal microscopy and rheology to probe the changing status of brittle snack foods during key oral processing stages, which have been mimicked by an in vitro method based on mortar-and-pestle comminution processes and dilution using a physiological buffer. Using the ubiquitous potato chip (PC) with variations in oil content, we discover that there is no difference between the PC fracture properties, yet there is a dramatic difference in their rheological properties following comminution and dilution in a physiological buffer solution. We rationalise how oil would affect the bolus rheology using structural models then consider the implications on oral processing and perception. Our approach provides valuable insights into how the sensory properties of brittle foods can vary dramatically even when small changes in formulation leave the initially perceived texture unaltered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The influence of glycerol (0–40 wt%) on the thermal denaturation and gelation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in aqueous solution has been studied. The effect of glycerol on heat denaturation of 0.5 wt% BSA solutions (pH 7.0) was measured using ultrasensitive differential scanning calorimetry. The unfolding process was irreversible and was characterized by a denaturation temperature (Tm). There was no significant change in Tm as the glycerol concentration was increased from 0 to 40 wt%, suggesting that glycerol interacted similarly with the native and heat-denatured forms of the protein. The dynamic shear rheology of 4 wt% BSA solutions containing 200 mM NaCl was monitored as they were heated from 30 to 90 °C at 1.5 °C min−1, held at 90 °C for 70 min, and then cooled back to 30 °C at −1.5 °C min−1. The turbidity of the same solutions was monitored as they were heated from 30 to 90 °C at 1.5 °C min−1 or held isothermally at 90 °C for 10 min. Glycerol increased the protein gelation temperature (ΔTgel∼+3 °C for 40 wt% glycerol) and decreased the gelation rate, which was attributed primarily to its ability to decrease the protein–protein collision frequency by increasing solution viscosity. The presence of glycerol either increased or decreased the shear modulus of the gels depending on its concentration and temperature, which was attributed to its ability to alter protein aggregation kinetics during gelation and its ability to increase the attractive forces between proteins at lower temperatures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The influence of sorbitol (0–40 wt.%) on the thermal denaturation and gelation of bovine serum albumin (BSA, pH 7.0) in aqueous solution has been studied. The effect of sorbitol on heat denaturation of 0.5 wt.% BSA solutions was measured using ultrasensitive differential scanning calorimetry. The unfolding process was irreversible and was characterized by the thermal denaturation temperature (Tm). As the sorbitol concentration increased from 0 to 40 wt.%, Tm increased from 73.0 to 80.9 °C. The rise in Tm was attributed to the increased thermal stability of the globular state of BSA relative to its native state. The dynamic shear rheology of 4 wt.% BSA solutions containing 200 mM NaCl was monitored as they were heated from 30 to 90 °C at 1.5 °C min−1, held at 90 °C for 120 min, and then cooled back to 30 °C at −1.5 °C min−1. Sorbitol increased the protein gelation temperature (ΔTgel ∼+10 °C for 40 wt.% sorbitol), decreased the isothermal gelation rate at 90 °C, but increased the final shear modulus of the gels cooled to 30 °C. The impact of sorbitol on gel characteristics was attributed to its ability to increase protein thermal stability, increase the attractive force between proteins and decrease the protein–protein collision frequency. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Oral processing of solid foods is an extremely dynamic and complicated activity that involves multiple processes in tandem such as comminution, mixing, dilution, hydration and enzymatic breakdown that gradually transform the food from a morsel or a bite to a bolus that is ready for swallowing. It is hypothesised that just after "first bite" and initial particle reduction and hydration of solid brittle foods, the response to deformation of food particles is analogous to studies on the flowability and cohesion of wetted powders, which are effectively characterised using a Ring Shear Tester (RST). We examine this hypothesis and determine whether the RST measures properties of solid snack foods (potato chips or crisps, PCs) that are relevant to their dynamic sensory response, which includes capturing the effect of hydration on comminuted PCs. The RST is found to differentiate PCs obtained from different manufacturing sources (e.g. baked versus fried), and its measurements of cohesion and friction can be considered in context of the structure and composition of the PCs as well as oral processing. Remarkably, RST measurements for this small set of PC samples correlate with several sensory attributes that arise during mastication, which includes Sharpness and Ease of Clearance. This study highlights the potential of the RST as a new tool for oral processing research. Unlabelled Image • Torsional Ring Shear Tester used on comminuted PCs • Measurements relate to sensory texture • Provides insights into physics of oral processing • Promising new tool for food material characterisation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Texture perception is conceptualized as an emergent cognitive response to food characteristics that comprise several physical and chemical properties. Contemporary oral processing research focuses on revealing the relationship between the sensory perceptions and food properties, with the goal of enabling rational product design. One major challenge is associated with revealing the complex molecular and biocolloidal interactions underpinning even simple texture percepts. Here, we introduce in vitro oral processing, which considers oral processing in terms of discrete units of operation (first bite, comminution, granulation, bolus formation, and tribology). Within this framework, we systematically investigate the material properties that govern each specific oral processing unit operation without being impacted by the biological complexity of the oral environment. We describe how this framework was used to rationally design a low-fat potato chip with improved sensory properties by investigating the impact from adding back, to a low-fat potato chip, a small amount of oil mixed with the surface-active agent polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR). The relevance of instrumental measures is validated by sensory assessment, whereby panelists ranked the perceived oiliness of three different types of potato chips. The sensory results indicate that perceived oiliness was higher when a low-fat potato chip was supplemented with an additional 0.5% (w/w) topical coating (the coating comprised 15%, w/w, PGPR in oil) compared to the unaltered low-fat potato chip. The perceived difference in oiliness is hypothesized to correspond to the dynamic friction measured in vitro with a saliva-coated substrate in the presence and absence of PGPR. The study illustrates how dividing oral processing into distinct units provides a rational approach to food product design focused on controlling key sensory attributes.

Glycation of proteins via the first stage of the Maillard reaction is capable of improving their stability but not economically feasible yet. This work reports the glycation of whey protein isolate (WPI) with maltodextrin at a high yield after heating electrospun fibers made from the reactants. Glycoconjugates were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and SDS-PAGE. The binding ratio between WPI and maltodextrin was assessed via the free amino groups. The molecular weight of the conjugates and the reaction yield were studied by size exclusion chromatography. The impact of different mass ratios between WPI and maltodextrin in the fibers (5:95, 10:90, 20:80, and 25:75 w/w) was investigated. With increasing WPI content, the binding ratio of maltodextrin decreased from ∼2.1 to ∼1.2. Preferably small polysaccharides (2-13 kDa) from the maltodextrin reacted. Protein specific reaction yields of up to 44.52 ± 7.46% w/w were demonstrated in all WPI-maltodextrin fibers after heating.

The combined influence of a strongly interacting cosolvent (NaCl) and a weakly interacting cosolvent (sucrose) on the heat-induced gelation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied. The dynamic shear rheology of 4 wt % BSA solutions containing 0 or 20 wt % sucrose and 0-200 mM NaCl was monitored as they were heated from 30 to 90 degrees C at 1.5 degrees C min(-)(1), held at 90 degrees C for 120 min, and then cooled back to 30 degrees C at -1.5 degrees C min(-)(1). The turbidity of the same solutions was monitored as they were heated from 30 to 95 degrees C at 1.5 degrees C min(-)(1) or held isothermally at 90 degrees C for 10 min. NaCl had a similar effect on BSA solutions that contained 0 or 20 wt % sucrose, with the gelation temperature decreasing and the final gel strength increasing with increasing salt concentration and the greatest changes occurring between 25 and 100 mM NaCl. Nevertheless, the presence of sucrose did lead to an increase in the gelation temperature and final gel strength and a decrease in the final gel turbidity. The impact of NaCl on gel characteristics was attributed primarily to its ability to screen electrostatic interactions between charged protein surfaces, whereas the impact of sucrose was attributed mainly to its ability to increase protein thermal stability and strengthen the attractive forces between proteins through a preferential interaction mechanism.