Substituting your Meat at mealtimes: Part 3: Battle of the burgers – texture comparison

Perhaps the easiest of meat products to recreate is the burger or “pattie” as it can take a combination of ingredients in bulk and form a structural mass that attempts to mimic a burger with dense mouthfeel. 

The use of quinoa, brown rice, bulgur and vegetables can be successfully combined as a fibre-rich patty with the texture of a meat burger.

The most important things about a veggie burger are its flavour and ‘bite profile’. Most veggie burgers are either dry like cardboard or soft and mushy on the bun. The ultimate challenge is to create a larger, thicker patty with a tender yet meaty bite and strong visual appeal. This will then change the way consumers think about veggie burgers.

Consider the front teeth in a line – their action can be imitated by the use of a blade on the Texture Analyser. The ‘Bite Force’ property can be assessed with a standard Knife Blade (as shown in Figure 2). A sample of fixed height and width (or wider than the blade) is placed on the testing platform and the maximum force and area under the positive region of the curve obtained as measures of firmness or ‘bite characteristics’. 

From the testing of beef burgers vs. Quorn burgers using a standard Knife Blade (see Figures 3a/3b), the beef burgers were shown to require considerably higher force and work to shear (which would be perceived as a ‘firmer/tougher bite’ by consumers) than Quorn burgers, which produced results with much higher variability reflecting their inconsistent textural quality.

 






























  


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Once your measurement is performed, our expertise in its graphical interpretation is unparalleled. Not only can we develop the most suitable and accurate method for the testing of your sample, but we can also prepare analysis procedures that obtain the desired parameters from your curve and drop them into a spreadsheet or report designed around your requirements.

For more information on how to measure texture, please visit the Texture Analysis Properties section on our website.

The TA.XTplus texture analyser is part of a family of texture analysis instruments and equipment from Stable Micro Systems. An extensive portfolio of specialist attachments is available to measure and analyse the textural properties of a huge range of food products. Our technical experts can also custom design instrument fixtures according to individual specifications.

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