Formulation of a Meatless Pepperoni Product Focusing on the use of both plant and dairy proteins and bi-products
Many consumers want variety in their protein choices and are looking at alternative protein sources like dairy and plant proteins to substitute for meat in typical meat-based products, but do not want to sacrifice flavor. The objective was to formulate a meatless pepperoni product with dairy ingredients that will not lack in flavor or texture for the consumer. Butter was adjusted using various food ingredients to produce a fat base similar to pork fat. This was tested using a makeshift capillary melting point method, using a water bath and test tubes, to measure the change in melting point and compare the melting point to pork fat. Pepperoni prototypes were constructed using textured soy protein, acid whey, an appropriate pepperoni spice profile, citric acid, and the formulated butter mixtures and were baked for drying purposes. These prototypes were tested using a texture analyzer, water activity meter, and pH meter, and were compared to the target of a store-bought meat-based pepperoni. The texture of the formulated pepperoni product was adjusted looking at the gelling properties of isolated whey protein, albumin, and a mixture of casein and whey. The melting point of butter when compared to pork fat was extremely low, and butter lacked the fibrous structure and protein that pork fat has. The adjustments made to the butter raised melting point closer to the rendering point for pork fat and created a fibrous structure for the butter to hold the fat, like pork fat. By adding common food industry binders and proteins, the firmness of the pepperoni product improved to be able to be processed properly and gained the ability to be sliced. The addition of dairy ingredients into meatless products creates further opportunities for the agricultural industry to utilize more resources, expand into many different markets, and offer a variety of products for consumers.
Madison,
This is great! With a lot of the recent trends and research of a vegan diet, this will definitely be something that will help people who eat a plant-based diet to not only be able to eat foods they did before but also to have an alternative that will be very similar to the real meat-based product.