Work

Physicochemical Properties and Consumer Appeal of High Pressure Structured Pea and Chickpea Isolate-Enriched Whole Concord Grape Gels

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Protein-enriched fruit gels, such as spoonable sauces and cuttable gels, can meet consumers’ desire for high protein/fiber value-added health foods. High pressure processing (HPP) is a nonthermal pasteurizing method that has shown additional usage as a novel structuring method for gels by affecting protein–protein interactions. This work studied HPP (575 MPa, 3 min, 5 °C) compared to heat (85–90 °C, 3–10 min) pasteurization as a method to produce novel fruit gels from whole Concord grapes enriched with 4, 6, and 8% (w/w) chickpea and pea protein. Physicochemical and rheological analyses were conducted, as well as sensory evaluation of a model gel. Heat-treated gels produced spoonable high viscosity gels compared to free standing gels produced through HPP. Chickpea protein-enriched samples exhibited a greater change with an increase in heat processing due to non-protein constituents compared to pea protein. Sensory analysis showed a desire for added nutritional value, though flavor was ultimately the deciding factor in preference, with heat-treated gels achieving higher liking scores compared to a HPP counterpart.

Source: Gels

DOI: 10.3390/gels11120972

Authors: Viral Shukla, Yichen Yang, Olga I. Padilla-Zakour

Institutions: Cornell University, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station

Language: English

Topic: Proteins in Food Systems

Subfield: Food Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,534