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Water sorption isotherms are important tool for designing the technological processes and predicting stability and shelf life of food. The aim of the work was to determine the water sorption isotherms of commercial furcellaran at different temperatures (20, 35 and 50 °C) using a gravimetric method under different levels of relative humidity (19–95%). The experimental data obtained have been interpreted in the terms of various isotherm models and it was found that the best results were obtained with the Peleg model (P < 2.1%; RSME

Many new plant proteins are appearing on the market, but their properties are insufficiently characterized. Hence, we collected 24 commercial proteins from pea, oat, fava bean, chickpea, mung bean, potato, canola, soy, and wheat, including different batches, and assessed their techno-functional and sensory properties. Many powders had yellow, red, and brown color tones, but that of fava bean was the lightest. The native pH ranged from 6.0 to 7.7. The water solubility index was 28% on average, but after heat treatment the solubility typically increased. Soy isolate had by far the best water-holding capacity of 6.3 g (H2O) g−1, and canola had the highest oil-holding capacity of 2.8 g (oil) g−1. The foaming capacity and stability results were highly varied but typical to the raw material. The emulsification properties of all powders were similar. Upon heating, the highest viscosity and storage modulus were found in potato, canola, and mung bean. All powders had raw material flavor, were bitter and astringent, and undissolved particles were perceived in the mouth. Large differences in functionality were found between the batches of one pea powder. In conclusion, we emphasize the need for methodological standardization, but while respecting the conditions found in end applications like meat and dairy analogs.

It is evident that the interest in plant-based milk alternative products is increasing, although there are still difficulties with undesired sensorial properties. This study seeks to contribute to sustainable food development through a better understanding of the market situation. The objective of this study was to get a comprehensive overview of 90 plant-based beverages currently available on the Estonian market. Main focus of this research was to map the plant-based beverage market sensorially. To evaluate such a large set of samples, RATA (Rate-All-That-Apply) was explored as a method for market mapping. A wide range of products made from different raw materials was characterized. Sensory analysis was able to make some conclusions based on specific raw materials, as there was a lot of variety among different sample groups. Combining the data collected from sensory and aroma analysis (GC/MS/O) helped to further examine the effect of volatile compounds on sensory properties of various product types. Some key compounds were found in different products, including compounds that may be causing off-flavors.

This study investigated meat analogs produced using low-moisture extrusion from oat and pea protein blends at ratios 20:80, 30:70, 50:50, and 70:30. Response surface methodology was used to assess the effect of blend composition, screw speed (200–1200 rpm), barrel temperature (135–160 °C), and moisture content (25–35%) on the properties of extruded meat analogs. Blend composition had a relatively stronger effect on water holding capacity, water solubility index, bitterness, cohesiveness, and springiness, while extrusion conditions had more influence on hardness, fibrousness, and moistness. As the oat content increased from 20% to 70% the maximum sensory fibrousness increased from 7.2 to 8.6 on a scale of 0–9. Although the mean water holding capacity decreased from 2.1 to 1.4 g g−1, the mean sensory moistness remained around 4.1. Cereal taste dominated over legumes with the mean intensities 3.9 and 2.0, however, the differences between oat-pea blends were small. In general, the extruded meat analogs had a mild flavor and high fibrousness, and the developed response surface models can be used to tune the properties further. This confirms that oat protein in combination with pea is a practical alternative to soy and gluten proteins for the production of meat analogs.