Plant-based burger patties: effect of chickpea and textured vegetable protein concentrations on their properties and in vitro digestibility

A lot of health-conscious consumers seek alternatives to animal protein that have similar texture, appearance, and flavor. However, further research and development still needs to identify non-meat alternatives. The objective of the research was to develop plant-based burger patties (PBP) with different ratios of chickpea flour (CF) and textured vegetable protein (TVP). The PBP was prepared using different concentrations of CF and TVP (25:75, 50:50, and 75:25, w/w, named T₁, T₂, and T₃, respectively). Physico-chemical, textural and protein qualities of PBP were determined. The PBP had significantly lower amounts of protein (13.21 to 17.10 %) compared to beef burger patties (BBP, 20.13 %). Increasing the CF decreased the water activity_. Samples T₁ and T₂ show similar L*-values, while T₃ shows a darker L*-value than BBP. The highest cooking loss was observed in PBP prepared from 50 % CF & 50 % TVP (T₂) and 25 % CF and 75 % TVP (T₃)_. The PBP prepared from 25 % CF and 75 % TVP (T₁) had comparable textural properties with BBP. Protein patterns showed major protein bands in PBPs with molecular weight ranging between 20–75 kDa under reducing conditions. Sample prepared from 25 % CF and 75 % TVP (T₁) showed improved in-vitro protein digestibility in simulated gastric (pH 1.5–2) and intestinal fluid (pH 6–8), suggesting the absence of the protein band after 180 min of digestion. It is suggested that 25 % chickpea flour and 75 % TVP are optimum for making PBP based on composition and protein quality.