Commercial Production Technology, “Healthy Food Products from Plant Protein to Replace Meat”
Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) by the Expert Center of Innovative Health Food, Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR), has successfully conducted the research and development of health food products from plant protein to replace meats which are imitation pork steak, plant-based hamburger patties with mushrooms and nuggets from red bean protein concentrate, with readiness to transfer the relevant technology to commercialization to meet consumers’ demands and help reduce environmental pollution caused by livestock production processes.
At present, the health-conscious trend is growing fast particularly the consumptions of plant foods, including plant-based foods, plant-based meat, and plant-based protein, which are currently gaining the highest popularity.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Weerachai Arjhan, TISTR Governor, said that from such demand, along with the Expert Center of Innovative Health Food, TISTR, which had successfully developed health food products from plant protein that were economically beneficial, it would lead to market expansions due to the increasing demand for plant-based meat among consumers tended to care about the environment and their health. In this connection, the plant-based meat market in Thailand had a trend to grow by approximately 20%-30% per year. The production of plant-based meat could create jobs in many sectors, such as agriculture (Growing Raw Materials), production, marketing, and distributions as well as reducing environmental impacts. Because the production of plant-based meat had required the use of less water and soil resources than the meat production system, it would therefore help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The products that TISTR successfully achieved consequently as a result of the research and development, are as follows:
1) Plant-based pork steak: By using an extrusion process combined with the use of protein structure modification with enzymes to create cross-linking bonds and, therefrom, the product is formed using the top-down method, i. e. mixing and freezing structuring to create a structure of artificial pork steak similar to that of a real pork steak. When tested for nutritional value, it is found to contain all essential amino acids, comprising a protein content of more than 15%, and is rich in dietary fiber of more than 6%. This research work is in the 8th Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and has a prototype product derived from the industrial production level that has passed the quality test according to the relevant standard and that has been accepted by consumers. The technology is ready to be transferred to customers for commercial production purposes.
2) Plant-based hamburger patties supplemented with oyster mushrooms: In a ready-to-eat form, it can be heated in a microwave before eating. One serving of the product (100 grams), contains 180 kilocalories of energy that out of which, 60 kilocalories come from fat, 11% from saturated fat, 17 grams of protein and 6 grams of dietary fiber. It is found, as a result of such nutritional test, that the product contains high protein and high dietary fiber (According to the Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 445 on Nutrition Label) and is flexible and resistant to teeth. In addition, it is improved to have a good smell and taste similar to pork hamburgers with microbial test value in compliance with the Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 416 on the Determination of Quality or Standard, Criteria, Conditions, and Procedures on the Analysis of Food for Pathogenic Microorganisms.
3) Plant-based hamburger patties on a semi-industrial scale: From the innovation of plant-based hamburger patties production on a laboratory scale, the production capacity is expanded to a semi-industrial scale. It is found, as a result of the nutritional test that the hamburgers are still high in protein and in dietary fiber (According to the Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 445 on Nutrition Label) with microbial test value in compliance with the Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 416 on the Determination of Quality or Standard, Criteria, Conditions, and Procedures on the Analysis of Food for Pathogenic Microorganisms. Whereon the matter of the plant-based hamburger filling product, the entrepreneur is Thai Food Group Public Company Limited, which has jointly invested in the research and is waiting to receive the transfer of production technology.
4) Red bean protein nugget product: Developed with the semi-industrial level by way of red bean protein extraction technology of TISTR until red bean protein concentrate with high protein content being rich in nutritional value and antioxidant properties is obtained, this process has led to the development of the red bean protein nugget product. The nugget product contains a main ingredient of red bean protein concentrate eventually resulting in the product containing a high protein including wheat gluten that makes the texture of the nugget flexible and resistant to teeth. It has been improved to have a good smell and taste similar to those of chicken nuggets, as well. From the nutritional test result, it is found that a per serving (150 grams) of the product contains 31 grams of protein, or 20.52% of protein, and 12 grams of dietary fiber, or 7.89% of dietary fiber. It can be said that the red bean protein concentrate is highly effective as a new alternative plant protein. Moreover, it can make the added value by taking it for the production of the plant-based nuggets. TISTR has already registered a petty patent on the formula and production method of the red bean nugget products, including the extraction process.
