The need to create plant-based meat analogs (PBMAs) is of growing importance for the environmental and sustainability concerns that are associated with traditional meat-based products. To market a successful PBMA, prior work has suggested that consumers will expect a product with similar structural and textural characteristics to that of meat-based products. Soy protein isolate is commonly used in PBMA as it is well-established and low in cost. However, on its own, soy protein isolate produces a relatively soft gel network, which leads to a texture less reminiscent of traditional meat products. Thus, there is a need to investigate modifications for soy protein matrices to form stronger gel networks.

Our study explores the effect that corn starch has on soy protein isolate matrices. We created corn starch-soy protein gels at varying amylose levels (low, normal, and high) and at varying concentrations, and analyzed texture, gel strength, appearance, color, and rheological measurements. We will then validate these results by comparing the texture of corn starch-soy protein gels against (i) one other denatured protein and (ii) two native protein-starch matrices. The results of this study will help determine whether or not corn starch can be utilized as an effective modifier of existing starch-soy protein gels.