Effect of adding modified pea protein as functional extender on the physical and sensory properties of beef patties

Plant-based ingredients are used as extenders in meat products to enhance nutrition, improve quality, and reduce cost. Pea protein modified via sequential deamidation and conjugation (PGG) exhibited greatly enhanced functionalities compared to the original pea protein (PPI). The objective of this study was to understand the effect of adding 2.5 and 5% PPI or PGG on the cookability, physical and texture properties, and sensory attributes of beef patties in comparison with regular patty. The beef patties containing PGG (especially at 5%) showed significantly decreased cooking loss (20%) and increased moisture and fat retentions compared with the control patty (33% cooking loss). In general, PPI patties exhibited harder texture while PGG patties showed much softer texture than the control. Sensory results indicated that the control patty had higher scores of juiciness and beef flavor intensity and less off flavor than the extended patties, while the PGG patties were tenderer and softer than the control and PPI patties. The patties containing PGG demonstrated some advantageous features in terms of higher fat/water retention, cooking yield, and tender texture, which may be preferred by the elderly or some other consumers. This study presents a novel approach to tailor meat texture using plant proteins.