Development of a novel technology for high-moisture textured soy protein using a vacuum packaging and pressurized heat (vacuum-autoclaving) treatment

Although the demand for meat analogues is increasing, aspects of the analogues’ textural characteristics continue to be problematic. To solve these problems, a new technique for applying vacuum packaging and pressurized heat (i.e., vacuum-autoclaving) to low-moisture TSP has been proposed. An analysis of the morphological characteristics of the analogues showed that the vacuum-autoclaving treatment affected the packing structure of the materials. The density was increased by about 0.25 g/mL by vacuum-autoclaving, and the movement of water was restricted by the formation of a packed structure. The disulfide bonds increased by 3 μM/g or more and the β-sheets and α-helixes increased by 7 % or more; this contributed to structural changes due to protein aggregation. The texturization index and hardness tended to decrease by more than 30 %, indicating a decrease in overall structural strength. The newly proposed technology has potential for use in the commercialization of meat analogues.