Orchestrating the oriented fibrous architecture in high-moisture soy protein extrudates via Tremella fuciformis stem dietary fiber.

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Citation abstract

Plant-based meat alternatives have attracted increasing attention due to their sustainability and health benefits. However, high-moisture extrusion technology for soy protein often faces limitations in precisely controlling fibrous structure and texture. In this work, dietary fiber extracted from Tremella fuciformis stems were investigated for their effects on the hierarchical structure and texture of high-moisture soy protein extrudates. Results demonstrated that incorporating 10 wt% dietary fiber increased extrudate springiness by 125.71% and the anisotropy index by 35.78%, indicating that the fiber promoted orderly protein assembly and enhanced the orientation of fibrous structures. Furthermore, dietary fiber promoted the conversion to β-sheet structures (from 44.80 ± 0.13% to 45.77 ± 0.21%), suggesting stable protein aggregate formation, and also improved the water distribution and rheology of the extrudate. This study provides a novel pathway for the resource utilization of edible fungi processing by-products and offers a theoretical foundation for the structural regulation of high-quality plant-based meat alternatives.