Creating A Chicken Analogue with Mycoprotein

Abstract: To meet the growing demand of meat alternatives, this project was dedicated to creating a chicken analogue prototype with mycoprotein. Within the project, two approaches of alginate gelation, external (diffusion) crosslinking and internal crosslinking, were studied in this particular food matrix. Using the external crosslinking method, the effects of major ingredients on the texture, structure and taste of the product were studied. Biomass is the major structure forming ingredients, and alginate, citrus fiber, salt and oil contribute to increasing the water holding capacity and modifying the firmness of the sample. The effects of different concentration of calcium salt solutions on the rate of crosslinking were investigated. The crosslinking rate from high to low is: 2.5% (w/w) CaCl2, 5% calcium lactate, 1% CaCl2, and 2% calcium lactate. Several heat treatment approaches were investigated to eliminate the astringency and off-taste generated by the inclusion of oil in the formulation. And heating the mycoprotein and water mixture was found to be the most suitable method. Two approaches of internal crosslinking were studied. While the combination of sodium alginate solution, D-glucono-δ-lactone, and CaCO3 did not lead to any desirable results, a sample with balanced texture between tenderness and chewiness was obtained with the combination of sodium alginate powder and CaSO4. The fiber alignment of the prototype was created through simplified extrusion, and the presence of alignment was examined by running a texture analysis. The significant difference (p<0.05) in fracture force and hardness of sheared samples in perpendicular and parallel directions verified the existence of aligned fibers in one general direction. Overall, the objectives of this project were achieved and a chicken analogue prototype with aligned fibrous structure was obtained.