Masterly substitution of plant proteins can achieve acceptable sensory and nutritional attributes in meat-reduced surimi gel

Mixing surimi/plant proteins to reduce animal proteins is considered as an effective way to improve the sustainable production of surimi-based products. The effect of partial substitution (10%∼50%, plant proteins/surimi proteins ratio) of surimi proteins by plant proteins (wheat protein, soybean protein, rice protein, and pea protein) on the properties of the composite gels were investigated. The replacement caused the reductions in gel strength and whiteness. There was a slight increase in water holding capacity (WHC) of mixed gels made from soy or pea protein, but decrease in the cereal protein group. E-nose investigations revealed that the reactions to the W5S and W1W sensors caused the scent profiles to shift dramatically as the replacement amount increased. Organoleptic inspection revealed the substitution ratios of wheat protein, soy protein, rice protein, and pea protein to achieve the sensorial rejection were 30%, 40%, 30%, and 40%, respectively. LF-NMR and MRI showed the cereal proteins increased the T22 relaxation time, while the legume proteins caused a reduction. The mixed gels contained all the essential amino acid, and the digestibility in the wheat protein groups was the highest. These results proved an elaborate formulation can achieve balanced sensory and nutritional attributes in surimi gelled foods.