Thermo Fisher Scientific: Alternative protein and plant-based meat

Event description

GFI Senior Scientist Priera Panescu, Ph.D. will deliver a talk on the “effects of extrusion on protein functionality and digestibility” on October 18th at 11:30 am EDT.

Extrusion is a scalable, effective mechanical process that can create meat analogues with fibrous textures, thus enhancing the taste and texture of alternative protein products. One potential bottleneck for consumer acceptability is that extrusion processing adds to conceptions that alternative protein products are “highly processed” and, therefore, unhealthy. In reality, literature studies demonstrate that extrusion cooking enhances protein digestibility, reduces antinutrient content, and can reduce ingredient allergenicity.

This talk will review studies that demonstrate the effects of extrusion on plant protein digestibility and nutrition. There will also be an emphasis on research gaps that should be further explored to demonstrate the benefits and potential pitfalls of extrusion cooking for the production of meat analogues.

GFI speaker

Priera Panescu, Ph.D.

SENIOR SCIENTIST – PLANT-BASED SPECIALIST

Priera Panescu is focused on analyzing plant-based meat and proteins and how to best expedite their progress.

More about Priera