NMR technology for optimal quality attributes on plant-based meat alternatives

• Grant number: 25/01957-4
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2026
• End date: February 28, 2031
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Banny Silva Barbosa Correia
• Grantee: Banny Silva Barbosa Correia
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Associated researchers: Daniel Rodrigues Cardoso ; Eduardo Purgatto ; Hanne Christine Bertram ; Luiz Alberto Colnago ; Poliana Cristina Spricigo ; Roberto Kopke Salinas

Abstract

We are facing a great food transition with more plant-based foods in our future diet, and Brazil is the biggest producer of an important protein source, the soybean. Obtaining analytical tools to investigate quality attributes such as sensory and nutrition of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA) will be decisive for the food industry in driving consumers' acceptance of this transition. The metabolite profile (amino acids, sugars, organic acids, etc.) combined with lipid, structure, and bioactive compound profiles can be used in food assignment. However, our understanding of nutrition, or specific sensory attributes and its intrinsic compounds in a complex and new food matrix, such as PBMA, is limited. In addition, the ingredients of PBMA are of great importance in mimicking meat properties. Textured vegetable protein (TVP) is the main ingredient of PBMA. It is derived from edible vegetable protein mixed with functional ingredients and is mostly prepared by extrusion technologies to obtain a fibrous structure that mimics meat texture. TVP using soybean and pea are commonly used in meat-like products through low-moisture or high-moisture extrusion methods, to mimic restructured (processed) or fibrous (whole muscle) products, respectively. Other vegetable sources including pulses and cereals can be explored to achieve a better visual appearance and mouthfeel. Associating the chemical profile of PBMA with their different ingredients reflecting flavor, taste, and nutritional properties could pave the way for establishing a new tool to maximize food product quality. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy can provide metabolite, protein, and structure (relaxometry) profiles on food. Also, NMR can assess metabolic changes of food consumers through their biofluids analysis. The main goal of this project is to develop a methodology and access chemical profiling of plant-based food regarding meat-like products using NMR spectroscopy to reach quality marker ingredients on plant-based food and thus distinguish ingredients to achieve optimal quality attributes such as sensory and nutritional. It consists of 3 work packages: (WP1) NMR toolbox to examine plant-based food, (WP2) Assessment of ingredients markers on plant-based food, and (WP3) Quality attributes on plant-based food. The sampling will consist of textured proteins, powder-isolated proteins, and burgers of pea, soybean, and wheat. These samples and the control samples of animal meat will be accessed in collaboration with a food company (confidentialities due to the in-progress status of the collaboration contract). Metabolite, lipid, structure, and protein profile analysis, part of WP1, will be performed to establish the chemical profile of the samples; while bioactive compounds (BC) and ingredient quality markers analysis, part of WP2, will be performed to determine the compounds that work as ingredient markers. In addition, sensorial, Maillard reaction and nutrition analysis, including protein digestion investigation, part of WP3, will be combined with data from WP1 and WP2 to associate products, ingredients and quality aspects. The project's originality is the in-depth investigation of the properties of vegetable proteins, and how they interact with their quality attributes, allowing the food industry to improve the quality and health potential of PBMA. The focus on a complete screening of PBMA properties related to mouthfeel and nutrition, includes the effect of TVP:lipid:BC set on Maillard Reaction and its possible implications on digestibility. Also, the project aims to develop an NMR toolbox while understanding the mechanism between the chemical profiling of PBMA and their ingredients. Thus, it is expected to contribute to science and the food industry in scientific, economic/technological, and social impacts concerning the scope of alternative foods to animal meat. (AU)