Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, ON, N1G 5C9, Canada.
College of Life and Environmental Science, Hunan University of Arts and Science, Changde, Hunan, 415000, China.
J Food Sci. 2021 Feb;86(2):293-305. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.15594. Epub 2021 Jan 20.
Interest in plant-based meat alternatives (PMBAs) has been rapidly growing in both the food research community and the food industry due to higher consumer demands in recent years. However, scientific data regarding the health and aroma aspects of PBMA are rare. In this study, the fatty acids (FAs) and volatile flavor compounds (VFCs) were profiled in four types of plant-based burgers (PBs) and compared to beef burger (BB). Over 40 FAs and 64 VFCs were detected and quantified in the samples. Nonsignificant differences (α = 0.05) were observed in the percentages of most FAs between uncooked and cooked PBs. PBs contained lower percentages of saturated FAs and trans-FAs, higher percentages of unsaturated FAs, and lower ratio of n-6 to n-3 FAs comparing to the BB. The FA profiles in PBs are mainly determined by their ingredients. The VFC profile of cooked PBs was different from that of the uncooked ones. The ingredients, thermally induced Maillard reaction, and lipid oxidation had contributed to the formation of the flavor. For uncooked samples, the VFC profiles of PB 3 and PB 4 were similar to that of BB. While for cooked samples, PB 1 had similar VFC profile as BB. This illustrated the importance of the cooking process for aroma formation; however, ingredients, such as spices, remain an important source of VFCs in these burger samples. Ingredient optimization could be an effective strategy to enhance the flavor of PBs to resemble BB. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study provides the knowledge of health and aroma-related components in both raw and cooked PBs, including FA and VFC profiles. It also explains the source of those components. This will not only help consumer's decision making in choosing plant-based meat alternatives, but also help the related industry to choose proper ingredients to optimize the final products.
近年来，由于消费者需求的增加，植物性肉类替代品（PMBAs）在食品研究界和食品行业都受到了极大的关注。然而，关于 PMBA 的健康和香气方面的科学数据却很少。在这项研究中，对四种植物性汉堡（PB）和牛肉汉堡（BB）进行了脂肪酸（FA）和挥发性风味化合物（VFC）分析。在样品中检测到并定量了超过 40 种 FA 和 64 种 VFC。在未煮熟和煮熟的 PB 之间，大多数 FA 的百分比没有显著差异（α=0.05）。PB 中的饱和 FA 和反式 FA 百分比较低，不饱和 FA 百分比较高，n-6 与 n-3 FA 的比例也较低。与 BB 相比，PB 中的 FA 谱主要由其成分决定。熟 PB 的 VFC 谱与生 PB 的不同。成分、热诱导的美拉德反应和脂质氧化对风味的形成有贡献。对于未煮熟的样品，PB3 和 PB4 的 VFC 谱与 BB 的相似。而对于煮熟的样品，PB1 的 VFC 谱与 BB 相似。这说明了烹饪过程对香气形成的重要性；然而，香料等成分仍然是这些汉堡样品中 VFC 的重要来源。成分优化可能是增强 PB 风味使其类似于 BB 的有效策略。
本研究提供了生熟 PB 中与健康和香气相关的成分（包括 FA 和 VFC 谱）的知识。它还解释了这些成分的来源。这不仅有助于消费者在选择植物性肉类替代品时做出决策，也有助于相关行业选择合适的成分来优化最终产品。
