Evaluating the use of zein in structuring plant-based products

The recent interest in plant-based foods has brought upon the need to develop novel structures using plant-based proteins. However, there is still room for improvement in the development of plant-based meat and cheese alternatives. The rheological properties of self-assembled zein networks were examined to evaluate potential in animal protein replacement. These plant-based protein networks were compared to gluten networks (a common ingredient in current plant-based products), chicken muscle tissue, and cheddar cheese. All samples were analyzed using temperature, amplitude, and frequency sweeps at different time points. Zein networks exhibited unique viscous behaviour (in line with that of an entangled polymer solution), in each amplitude, frequency and temperature sweeps, however only when freshly formed. The results suggest that the bonds and interactions responsible for strengthening zein networks need at least 24 h to fully form. Analysis of the secondary structure by FTIR revealed that zein undergoes a structural reorganization from intermolecular to intramolecular β-sheets during this time, but the substantial content of α-helix structures remains unchanged. Overall, different aspects of zein network rheological behaviour can be compared to either chicken breast, or cheddar cheese, presenting opportunities for zein in plant-based food structuring.