TY - JOUR

T1 - Design of a Functional Pea Protein Matrix for Fermented Plant-Based Cheese

AU - Masiá, Carmen

AU - Jensen, Poul Erik

AU - Petersen, Iben Lykke

AU - Buldo, Patrizia

N1 - Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by Innovation Foundation Denmark (grant 0153-00058B) and Chr. Hansen A/S, as part of an industrial Ph.D. thesis. Funding Information: This research was funded by Innovation Foundation Denmark (grant 0153-00058B) and Chr. Hansen A/S, as part of an industrial Ph.D. thesis. We would like to thank Frantiska Tomasikova for the WHC determination experiments, Nadia Dodge for assistance with microscopy, ?sp S?lvadottir for assistance with laboratory equipment, and Ourania Gouseti for her help with rheology experiments. We also want to thank ADM for supplying PPI samples and the Center for Advanced Bioimaging (CAB) at the University of Copenhagen for providing training and facilities for confocal microscopy. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - The production of a fermented plant-based cheese requires understanding the behavior of the selected raw material prior to fermentation. Raw material processing affects physicochemical properties of plant protein ingredients, and it determines their ability to form fermentation-induced protein gels. Moreover, the addition of oil also influences structure formation and therefore affects gel firmness. This study focuses on identifying and characterizing an optimal pea protein matrix suitable for fermentation-induced plant-based cheese. Stability and gel formation were investigated in pea protein matrices. Pea protein isolate (PPI) emulsions with 10% protein and 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% olive oil levels were produced and further fermented with a starter culture suitable for plant matrices. Emulsion stability was evaluated through particle size, ζ-potential, and back-scattered light changes over 7 h. Gel hardness and oscillation measurements of the fermented gels were taken after 1 and 7 days of storage under refrigeration. The water-holding capacity of the gels was measured after 7 days of storage and their microstructure was visualized with confocal microscopy. Results indicate that all PPI emulsions were physically stable after 7 h. Indeed, ζ-potential did not change significantly over time in PPI emulsions, a bimodal particle size distribution was observed in all samples, and no significant variation was observed after 7 h in any of the samples. Fermentation time oscillated between 5.5 and 7 h in all samples. Higher oil content led to weaker gels and lower elastic modulus and no significant changes in gel hardness were observed over 7 days of storage under refrigeration in closed containers. Water-holding capacity increased in samples with higher olive oil content. Based on our results, an optimal pea protein matrix for fermentation-induced pea protein gels can be produced with 10% protein content and 10% olive oil levels without compromising gel hardness.

AB - The production of a fermented plant-based cheese requires understanding the behavior of the selected raw material prior to fermentation. Raw material processing affects physicochemical properties of plant protein ingredients, and it determines their ability to form fermentation-induced protein gels. Moreover, the addition of oil also influences structure formation and therefore affects gel firmness. This study focuses on identifying and characterizing an optimal pea protein matrix suitable for fermentation-induced plant-based cheese. Stability and gel formation were investigated in pea protein matrices. Pea protein isolate (PPI) emulsions with 10% protein and 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% olive oil levels were produced and further fermented with a starter culture suitable for plant matrices. Emulsion stability was evaluated through particle size, ζ-potential, and back-scattered light changes over 7 h. Gel hardness and oscillation measurements of the fermented gels were taken after 1 and 7 days of storage under refrigeration. The water-holding capacity of the gels was measured after 7 days of storage and their microstructure was visualized with confocal microscopy. Results indicate that all PPI emulsions were physically stable after 7 h. Indeed, ζ-potential did not change significantly over time in PPI emulsions, a bimodal particle size distribution was observed in all samples, and no significant variation was observed after 7 h in any of the samples. Fermentation time oscillated between 5.5 and 7 h in all samples. Higher oil content led to weaker gels and lower elastic modulus and no significant changes in gel hardness were observed over 7 days of storage under refrigeration in closed containers. Water-holding capacity increased in samples with higher olive oil content. Based on our results, an optimal pea protein matrix for fermentation-induced pea protein gels can be produced with 10% protein content and 10% olive oil levels without compromising gel hardness.

KW - Emulsion

KW - Functionality

KW - Gel

KW - Pea protein

KW - Plant-based cheese

KW - Stability

U2 - 10.3390/foods11020178

DO - 10.3390/foods11020178

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35053910

AN - SCOPUS:85122803654

VL - 11

JO - Foods

JF - Foods

SN - 2304-8158

IS - 2

M1 - 178

ER -