Application of ohmic cooking to produce a soy protein-based meat analogue

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The potential of ohmic cooking for the production of a soy protein-based meat analogue was investigated. The ohmic cooking system subjected the meat analogue to a 30 V/cm electric field, enabling rapid heating within 0.66–0.87 min, depending on the cooking temperature. The sample was ohmically cooked using different combinations of temperature (70, 80, 90, and 100 °C) and holding time (1, 3, 5, and 7 min). A cooking temperature of 100 °C yielded the highest system performance coefficient (SPC) of 0.75. The electrical energy consumption was analyzed in terms of total energy consumption and holding energy consumption, which was minimal compared to the former. Hardness and gumminess increased as a function of cooking temperature and holding time. Cooking at 100 °C for 3 min yielded the appropriate meat analogue textural quality (hardness = 104 N), similar to that of commercial chicken nuggets and restructured beef steaks. The pH of ohmically cooked meat analogue ranged from 7.27 to 7.53, but was not influenced by cooking temperature and holding time. Increased cooking temperatures and longer holding times resulted in enhanced yellowness of the internal color. This study showed the potential of ohmic cooking to rapidly produce meat analogues with good quality attributes.