Leveraging Indian pulses for plant‐based meat: functional properties and development of meatball analogues

Summary Worldwide, the development of next‐generation plant protein‐based meat analogues has gained popularity because of plant proteins' reliable, sustainable, functional and nutritional benefits. In this work, we study the functional properties of green gram (GG), horse gram (HG) and cowpea protein concentrates (CPPCs) obtained using the alkaline/isoelectric precipitation method and developed the conventional and plant‐based deep‐fried meatballs. The results indicated that all protein concentrates exhibited superior functional properties. All protein concentrates exhibited a typical U‐shaped solubility curve from pH 2 to 9. Emulsification, foaming and gelling properties were found to correlate well with the protein solubility (PS) profile. The least gelation capacity for GGPC was 15%, while HGPC and CPPC required 20% protein to form a gel. Water absorption capacity (WAC), emulsification properties were significantly different for all protein concentrates, but not oil absorption, foaming and protein solubility. A plant‐based deep‐fried meatball formulated using the ratio of 20:20:20 for GGPC: HGPC: CPPC was found to be closely related to the conventional meatballs in terms of taste, flavour and colour. The oil absorbed in plant‐based deep‐fried meatballs was ~4% lower than in conventional deep‐fried meatballs. This research allowed a more in‐depth understanding of the functional characterisation of pulse protein concentrates (PPCs) obtained by alkaline‐isoelectric precipitation and their potential use in developing plant protein‐based meatball analogues. In conclusion, Indian pulses could potentially offer sustainable options for plant protein‐based meat formulations.