Study Finds Citrus Fiber Outperforms Methylcellulose in Plant-Based Meat
A study funded by the Master of Food Technology (MoFT) program at Universiti Putra Malaysia, exploring healthy and sustainable binders for plant-based meat, found that citrus fiber is optimal for replacing synthetic ingredients like methylcellulose (MC). The researchers evaluated the physicochemical and sensorial properties of plant-based meat patties made with protein texturates and tested pea, citrus, and apple fibers as possible candidates. Their focus was to understand the influence of these fibers on key attributes such as taste, color, texture, moisture retention, strength, pH, emulsion stability, and overall acceptability. The scientists prepared five types of patties to compare and choose the best binder to replace MC: a negative control without MC or enzymatically treated fiber, a positive control with MC, and three patties incorporating enzymatically treated pea, citrus, and …