Tailoring the structural and textural characteristics of plant-based meat analogues by ice-templating technique

The development of plant-based meat analogues is crucial for sustainable food systems, yet mimicking the structure and texture of animal meat remains a major technological bottleneck. This study fabricated protein-based meat analogues using soy-quinoa protein emulsion gels as the matrix, coupled with a two-step ice-templating method. The first-step unidirectional freezing dominated the structure formation, inducing aligned fiber-like lamellar structures that enhanced textural attributes, mechanical performance, and sensory acceptability. In contrast, first-step random freezing resulted in irregular, non-aligned microstructures, leading to decreased texture and mechanical properties, and lower scores in appearance and mouthfeel evaluations. These findings underscore the pivotal role of first-step unidirectional freezing in regulating the structural, mechanical, and sensory properties of plant-based meat analogues, offering valuable insights for developing high-performance products with improved textural fidelity to natural meat.