Meat analogue preparation from cricket and rice powder mixtures with controlled textural and nutritional quality by freeze alignment technique.

The rising demand for sustainable protein sources has encouraged interest in alternative food products like meat analogues. This study explores formulating meat analogues using cricket powder (CP) and rice flours, comparing them with soy protein-based analogues. CP exhibited a higher soluble protein content (5.9%) than soy protein powder (4.7%), enhancing textural properties by forming fiber-like structures, increasing firmness and adhesion, and reducing chewiness. Despite having a lower water holding capacity (WHC) than soy analogues, all samples outperformed chicken breast WHC. Under freezing conditions, CP and rice flour combinations formed multilayered structures in protein gels. The optimal formulations were CP and sticky rice flour (ratio 6:1) with respect to their texture properties, fiber structure, and nutritional value. This study highlights the potential of cricket powder and rice flour combinations as viable meat analogue ingredients, addressing the need for sustainable protein sources in the food industry.