Renewable methanol utilizing bacteria as future meat analogue: An explorative study on the physicochemical and texturing properties of Methylobacillus flagellatus biomass and fractions

There is an ongoing search for sustainable and functional alternative protein sources to animal proteins. Methylobacillus flagellatus (grown on renewable methanol) is known to give high protein yields with low resource requirements. However, the techno-functionality for food applications has not yet been explored. In this study, the biomass was processed by microfluidizer, centrifugation and acid precipitation. Unprocessed biomass (UB: protein content of 73 %) and processed biomass fractions were investigated on their composition, physicochemical and rheological properties. All the biomass fractions had comparable composition, a pink, meat -like colour and umami smell. Differences were observed in the rheological and structuring properties using shear cell: UB yielded layered but crumbly structure, while the acid precipitated fraction resulted in a firm consistent product. From a functional point of view, M. flagellatus is a promising protein source that can be used for meat analogues without extensive prior fractionation.