Total and Partial Replacement of Meat by Mycoprotein in Hamburger: Physico-Chemical, Nutritional, Mechanical, and Overall Acceptability

Aim: Processed meats are considered the most consumable products worldwide. However, there are several limitations related to these products such as health and environmental issues, and the high energy, time, and cost needed for their production, thus manufacturers are looking for effective alternatives for processed meats. Mycoprotein can be a useful approach for meat substitution. Introduction: This study’s objective was the partial and total replacement of meat with mycoproteins in the formulation of burgers and to investigate the characteristics of these novel formulations for comparison with the control sample (full meat burger). Methods: Cooking loss, mechanical, physicochemical, nutritional, color, and sensory properties were determined. Results: The results indicated that mycoprotein substitution could improve health and nutritional properties as a result of including high-value protein and lower lipid content (mostly unsaturated fatty acids). However, the beef burger had better mechanical properties such as cohesiveness, hardness, springiness, and gumminess compared to mycoprotein-containing burgers. Higher OBC (oil binding capacity) and WBC (water binding capacity) of mycoprotein were responsible for filling the interstitial spaces within the protein matrix and reducing the textural attributes. Thus, using less oil and water in mycoprotein-containing formulations is recommended. Moreover, the cooking loss percentage decreased by increasing the mycoprotein content of burgers, which has economic advantages. According to sensory evaluations, no significant changes (p>0.05) were shown in the overall acceptance and taste scores of the burgers. Conclusions: Mycoproteins are potential compounds to be used as promising ingredients for the complete substitution of meat in the burger.