Effects of quality-enhancing additives on texture and digestibility of Pleuroutus geesteranus mycelia-based meat analogues

Pleuroutus geesteranus mycelia were used as the primarily raw material to develop meat analogues, and the effects of quality-enhancing additives (soy protein isolate, carrageenan, and egg white protein) on their properties were systematically evaluated. Mycelium-only meat analogues exhibited poor texture, while quality-enhancing additives significantly enhanced appearance and texture in a concentration-dependent manner. Meat analogues containing 25 g/100 g soy protein isolate (MA-S), 1.6 g/100 g carrageenan (MA-C), and 20 g/100 g egg white protein (MA-E) best mimicked pork products. Among them, MA-S showed the highest freeze-thaw stability and lowest cooking loss, attributed to its dense and uniform gel network. In contrast, MA-C had the weakest structure and was prone to damage. MA-E formed a relatively loose microstructure, resulting in intermediate performance. Microstructural differences among the samples were closely linked to variations in texture and digestibility. MA-S achieved the most favorable overall texture profile among the three formulations, including hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness, and resilience. During the gastric digestion phase, MA-S and MA-E exhibited more protein bands than MA-C; during the intestinal phase, all three samples were rapidly hydrolyzed into peptides smaller than 14.3 kDa within 15 minutes, with MA-S showing the faintest bands. • Pleurotus geesteranus mycelium is an ideal raw material to prepare meat analogues. • Quality-enhancing additives significantly enhance the quality additives of meat analogues. • Mycelium-based meat analogues with quality-enhancing additives can resemble pork product. • Meat analogues with soy protein isolate have better texture. • The digestive behavior of meat analogues depends on their microstructures.