Development and Application of a Texture Measurement Procedure for Textured Vegetable Protein *

A procedure was developed for separating different rehydrated commercial soy ‘protein products’ and cooked ground beef: soy mixtures (75:25) into textural classes. For comparison, cooked ground beef was included in the study. Samples were ground in a meat grinder (3/8* holes) and compressed at 5 cm min −1 in an Ottawa Texture Measuring System 10 cm2 cell, with eight wires grid, mounted in an Instron tester. Maximum force, average maximum force, hardness, cohesiveness and chewiness were determined from the force‐distance curves. Parameters which detected the greatest differences between textural classes were maximum force and the average maximum force, followed ‐ and in this order ‐ by chewiness, cohesiveness and hardness.