Chemical composition and cooking-induced physicochemical changes in plant-based and meat burgers

The present study combined chemical and physicochemical analyses to investigate plant-based (PB) and meat-based (MB) burgers. Raw samples were profiled by HPLC-MS/MS, and the effects of different cooking methods (air frying, oven baking, grilling, and microwaving) were assessed through measurements of cooking loss, shrinkage, pH, moisture content, water-holding capacity, color, and texture. MB samples were characterized by amino acids, dipeptides, and phospholipids related to protein metabolism and membrane integrity, which may account for their greater structural strength. In contrast, PB formulations were dominated by flavonoids, phenolic acids, and organic acids, metabolites that contribute to antioxidant activity but provide limited support for structural network formation. Cooking methods significantly influenced physicochemical properties, with the most pronounced effects observed in microwave-cooked samples, which exhibited greater cooking loss, increased thickness variation, reduced moisture content, and texture modifications, including enhanced hardness, chewiness, and resilience. Principal component analysis, however, indicated that the main source of variation was between burger types (mainly PB and MB) driven by their intrinsic compositional differences. MB burgers showed lower pH, reduced water-holding capacity, higher cooking losses, and markedly firmer textures, with hardness and chewiness up to ten times greater than PB patties. Overall, the combined chemical and physicochemical analyses provide a comprehensive understanding of how formulation drives cooking behavior and highlight the ongoing challenge for PB products to effectively replicate the textural and structural attributes of meat.