Formation and Characterization of Mycelium–Potato Protein Hybrid Materials for Application in Meat Analogs or Substitutes

There is increasing interest in the development of meat analogs due to growing concerns about the environmental, ethical, and health impacts of livestock production and consumption. Among non-meat protein sources, mycoproteins derived from fungal fermentation are emerging as promising meat alternati...

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Main Authors: Ramdattu Santhapur, Disha Jayakumar, David Julian McClements
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Foods
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/24/4109
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author Ramdattu Santhapur
Disha Jayakumar
David Julian McClements
author_facet Ramdattu Santhapur
Disha Jayakumar
David Julian McClements
author_sort Ramdattu Santhapur
collection DOAJ
description There is increasing interest in the development of meat analogs due to growing concerns about the environmental, ethical, and health impacts of livestock production and consumption. Among non-meat protein sources, mycoproteins derived from fungal fermentation are emerging as promising meat alternatives because of their natural fibrous structure, high nutritional content, and low environmental impact. However, their poor gelling properties limit their application in creating meat analogs. This study investigated the potential of creating meat analogs by combining mycoprotein (MCP), a mycelium-based protein, with potato protein (PP), a plant-based protein, to create hybrid products with meat-like structures and textures. The PP-MCP composites were evaluated for their physicochemical, rheological, textural, and microstructural properties using electrophoresis, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic shear rheology, texture profile analysis, confocal fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The PP-MCP hybrid gels were stronger and had more fibrous structures than simple PP gels, which was mainly attributed to the presence of hyphae fibers in mycelia. Dynamic shear rheology showed that the PP-MCP hybrids formed irreversible heat-set gels with a setting temperature of around 70 °C during heating, which was attributed to the unfolding and aggregation of the potato proteins. Confocal and electron microscopy analyses showed that the hybrid gels contained a network of mycelia fibers embedded within a potato protein matrix. The hardness of the PP-MCP composites could be increased by raising the potato protein content. These findings suggest that PP-MCP composites may be useful for the development of meat analogs with more meat-like structures and textures.
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spelling doaj-art-da6881c97cd447d68f29df3a957b58542025-08-20T02:53:43ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582024-12-011324410910.3390/foods13244109Formation and Characterization of Mycelium–Potato Protein Hybrid Materials for Application in Meat Analogs or SubstitutesRamdattu Santhapur0Disha Jayakumar1David Julian McClements2Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USADepartment of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USADepartment of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USAThere is increasing interest in the development of meat analogs due to growing concerns about the environmental, ethical, and health impacts of livestock production and consumption. Among non-meat protein sources, mycoproteins derived from fungal fermentation are emerging as promising meat alternatives because of their natural fibrous structure, high nutritional content, and low environmental impact. However, their poor gelling properties limit their application in creating meat analogs. This study investigated the potential of creating meat analogs by combining mycoprotein (MCP), a mycelium-based protein, with potato protein (PP), a plant-based protein, to create hybrid products with meat-like structures and textures. The PP-MCP composites were evaluated for their physicochemical, rheological, textural, and microstructural properties using electrophoresis, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic shear rheology, texture profile analysis, confocal fluorescence microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The PP-MCP hybrid gels were stronger and had more fibrous structures than simple PP gels, which was mainly attributed to the presence of hyphae fibers in mycelia. Dynamic shear rheology showed that the PP-MCP hybrids formed irreversible heat-set gels with a setting temperature of around 70 °C during heating, which was attributed to the unfolding and aggregation of the potato proteins. Confocal and electron microscopy analyses showed that the hybrid gels contained a network of mycelia fibers embedded within a potato protein matrix. The hardness of the PP-MCP composites could be increased by raising the potato protein content. These findings suggest that PP-MCP composites may be useful for the development of meat analogs with more meat-like structures and textures.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/24/4109potato proteinmyceliumbiopolymer compositesalternative proteinshybrid products
spellingShingle Ramdattu Santhapur
Disha Jayakumar
David Julian McClements
Formation and Characterization of Mycelium–Potato Protein Hybrid Materials for Application in Meat Analogs or Substitutes
Foods
potato protein
mycelium
biopolymer composites
alternative proteins
hybrid products
title Formation and Characterization of Mycelium–Potato Protein Hybrid Materials for Application in Meat Analogs or Substitutes
title_full Formation and Characterization of Mycelium–Potato Protein Hybrid Materials for Application in Meat Analogs or Substitutes
title_fullStr Formation and Characterization of Mycelium–Potato Protein Hybrid Materials for Application in Meat Analogs or Substitutes
title_full_unstemmed Formation and Characterization of Mycelium–Potato Protein Hybrid Materials for Application in Meat Analogs or Substitutes
title_short Formation and Characterization of Mycelium–Potato Protein Hybrid Materials for Application in Meat Analogs or Substitutes
title_sort formation and characterization of mycelium potato protein hybrid materials for application in meat analogs or substitutes
topic potato protein
mycelium
biopolymer composites
alternative proteins
hybrid products
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/24/4109
work_keys_str_mv AT ramdattusanthapur formationandcharacterizationofmyceliumpotatoproteinhybridmaterialsforapplicationinmeatanalogsorsubstitutes
AT dishajayakumar formationandcharacterizationofmyceliumpotatoproteinhybridmaterialsforapplicationinmeatanalogsorsubstitutes
AT davidjulianmcclements formationandcharacterizationofmyceliumpotatoproteinhybridmaterialsforapplicationinmeatanalogsorsubstitutes