Physicochemical and nutritional characteristics of vegan protein bars formulated with sweet potato and rice protein.

Summary: In response to the growing interest in plant‐based alternatives and vegan diets, this study aimed to develop novel sweet potato‐based vegan protein bars enriched with rice protein (RP) as an alternative protein source. The vegan protein bars (VPBs) formulated with varying RP content (0–32 g) were evaluated for nutritional, textural, microstructural and sensory properties. Nutritional analysis revealed a proportional increase in protein content (8.94%–21.77%) and energy value (310.29–353.32 kcal/100 g) with increasing RP content. The progressive inclusion of RP significantly (P < 0.05) improved the textural properties of VPBs, notably increasing cohesiveness (0.07%–0.60%), chewiness (8.71–105.02 g) and firmness (1453.80–3444.03 kg cm−2), with all VPBs receiving favourable sensory evaluation scores. Importantly, all VPBs received favourable sensory scores. Microstructural analysis revealed the mechanism for textural enhancement in enriched VPBs, indicating a positive correlation between higher RP content and the number and size of surface clumps. Amino acid profiling indicated over 50% increases in valine content and essential amino acid scores in enriched VPBs compared to those without RP. Moreover, protein‐enriched VPBs exhibited superior antioxidant activity. In conclusion, these findings suggest the potential of sweet potato and RP in developing VPBs, highlighting the value of plant‐based ingredients in vegan food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]