LAUSR

BACKGROUND Binders in plant-based meat analogues allow different components such as extrudate and fat particles to stick together. Typically, binders then are solidified to transform the mass into a non-sticky, solid product. As an option for a clean label binder possessing such properties, the solidification behavior of pea protein - pectin mixtures (250 g kg-1 , r = 2:1, pH 6) was investigated upon heating, and upon addition of calcium, transglutaminase, and laccase, or by combinations thereof. RESULTS Mixtures of (homogenized) pea protein and apple pectin had higher elastic moduli and consistency coefficients and lower frequency dependencies upon calcium addition. This indicated that calcium physically crosslinked pectin chains that formed the continuous phase in the biopolymer matrix. The highest degree of solidification was obtained with a mixture of pea protein and sugar beet pectin upon addition of laccase that covalently crosslinked both involved biopolymers. All solidified mixtures lost their stickiness. A mixture of soluble pea protein and apple pectin solidified only slightly through calcium and transglutaminase, probably due to differences in the microstructural arrangement of the biopolymers. CONCLUSION The chemical makeup of the biopolymers and their spatial distribution determines solidification behavior in concentrated biopolymer mixtures. In general, pea protein - pectin mixtures can solidify and therefore have the potential to act as binders in meat analogues. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.