Formulating Cold-Set Plant-Based Patties with Low-Acyl Gellan Gum

Formulating Cold-Set Plant-Based Patties with Low-Acyl Gellan Gum

Gellan GumMeatBlend

Cold-set gellan concept: Low-acyl gellan forms brittle, ordered gels crosslinked by Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺ from plant protein isolate (pea/soy). The gel network must survive cooking — gellan's melting point can exceed 120°C when firmly crosslinked with divalent cations, meaning the formed gel is essentially irreversible at burger cooking temperatures.

✦ Plant burger binder formula: Low-acyl gellan 0.3–0.5% + Pea protein isolate 12–18% + Methylcellulose 1.0–1.5% (heat-setting binder) + Coconut oil microencapsulated 15–20% + Heme-analog (soy leghemoglobin or beet extract) 0.05%, pH 6.0–6.5

Fibrous texture engineering: Gellan at 0.3–0.5% creates a rigid interpenetrating network within the protein matrix. Align fibers via high-shear mixing (3000 rpm, 2 min) then mold under pressure — elongational flow orients polymer chains directionally, producing anisotropic fibrous texture detectable by TPA (texture profile analysis).
Fat release architecture: Encapsulate coconut oil in lecithin/methylcellulose shells (~50 μm). These shells rupture above 65°C, releasing fat only during cooking — mimicking inter-muscular fat melting in beef. Total apparent fat content in patty: 15–18%.

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