Abstract: Our study aimed to develop a dual-modification technology based on the combined use of different polysaccharides (sanxan gum, β-cyclodextrin, pea starch (PS), sweet potato starch, and cassava starch) and enzymes (protein-glutaminase (PG), laccase, and transglutaminase) to enhance the quality and consumer acceptance of plant-based meatballs. The results showed that single treatments with PS or PG significantly improved the sensory quality, color, textural properties, water-holding capacity and flavor quality of plant-based meatballs. Combined treatment with PS and PG further improved the quality of plant-based meatballs, while reducing the cooking and thawing loss rates as well as inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Combined treatment with 4% PS and 2.5‰ PG increased the chewiness, and decreased the cooking loss rate. Also, the combined treatment increased the content of flavor compounds such as phenethyl alcohol and n-pentanol as well as inhibited the formation of off-flavor compounds such as hexanal and octanal. Mechanistically, PG catalyzed the cross-linking of protein molecules, leading to a more robust network structure, while the gelatinized granules of PS were embedded into the network structure, thereby stabilizing it. PG and PS synergistically formed a denser and more uniform composite gel system, thereby effectively improving the quality of plant-based meatballs.

Key words: pea starch; protein-glutaminase; plant-based meatballs; texture; flavor; quality