Evaluating the synergistic effects of sesame cake powder and soy protein isolate on rheological, textural, nutritional, and phenolic profiles of high-moisture extrusion processed meat analogs.

In this study, the high-moisture meat analogs (HmMAs) were developed by incorporating defatted sesame cake powder (DSP) in soy protein isolate (SyPI). The quality attributes of HmMA like visual appearance, specific mechanical energy (SME), mass flow rate (MFR), phenolic profile, textural and rheological properties were assessed after varying DSP concentrations (0%, 20%, 40%, and 60% w/w) and feed moisture (FM) levels (55% and 60%). The HmMA₁ (derived solely from SyPI) exhibited higher hardness, chewiness, gumminess, cohesiveness, and springiness. The HmMA prepared from SyPI-DSP blends (HmMA_2-8) demonstrated significant improvements in nutritional composition, and their visual characteristics indicated noticeable anisotropy. The interaction between SyPI and DSP influenced the quality of HmMA. The higher DSP concentration led to higher MFR and deeper curvatures of U-shaped structures, whereas lower SMS, textural and rheological properties. The DSP incorporation and 55% FM adjustments allowed mimicking meat cuts with thick fiber, influenced color, and proved advantageous in developing white meat analogs with higher free phenolics. The findings of the study suggest avenues for exploring DSP at a suitable level in SyPI for the development of better quality meat analogs.