添加米蛋白對雞塊理化特性與感官特性之研究

Abstract

隨著消費者對環境永續與健康飲食的議題關注度增加，肉類替代品的發展逐漸受到重視。由於植物肉品在質地與口感上與傳統肉品仍存在落差，因此，以植物蛋白部分取代動物性蛋白的混合肉製品逐漸受到關注，成為兼具感官接受度與永續性的折衷選擇。本研究選用具高消化率、低過敏性之米蛋白 (rice protein, RP) ，探討其在不同應用方式下對雞塊質地與結構之影響，並進一步建立肌原纖維蛋白(myofibrillar proteins, MP) 與水分比率 (MP/water ratio) 作為質地表現的關鍵指標。 研究首先設計以 RP 取代不同比例 (10%、20%、30%) 的雞肉，以評估其對雞塊品質之影響。結果顯示，隨取代比例增加，雞塊質地硬度顯著下降，整體感官接受度也隨之降低，微觀結構則呈現鬆散趨勢；但在低比例取代 (10%) 下，產品仍能維持與對照組相近之質地與感官表現。為改善取代應用中雞塊質地下降的情形，本研究進一步對 RP 進行去醯胺基處理，藉以提升其溶解性與其他功能性，期望強化其於取代雞肉應用中的質地表現穩定性。然而，經去醯胺基處理之 RP 實際應用於取代雞肉時，雞塊的質地與結構表現仍與使用未經修飾 RP 時相近，顯示其改善效果有限。研究進一步改採額外添加 RP (5、10、15%) 的方式，以評估其在不改變雞肉使用量與水分配方的條件下之應用效果，結果顯示隨添加量增加，雞塊硬度提升，微觀結構呈現排列雜亂但緊密之現象，顯示 RP 在此應用方式下具結構支撐效果。為釐清上述質地差異是否與雞肉用量下降與水分比例上升，進而導致 MP/water 比率變動並影響質地表現，本研究針對取代應用中之配方設定，設計不同補水條件之組別，以調整 MP/water 比率，並分析其與雞塊質地變化之關聯性。結果顯示，MP/water 比率與雞塊硬度呈高度正相關 (r = 0.931) ，證實該比率可作為雞塊質地表現之關鍵指標，提供混合肉製品開發之參考依據。 本研究驗證了米蛋白應用於雞塊等絞碎肉製品的可行性與潛力，並提出MP/water 比率為影響質地表現之關鍵指標。未來植物蛋白於肉製品之應用開發中，建議除考量其功能特性外，也建議將 MP/water 比率納入考量，作為評估質地穩定性與配方設計之參考依據。

With increasing consumer awareness of environmental sustainability and healthy diets, the development of meat alternatives has received growing attention to support the reduced consumption of animal proteins. Although plant-based meats offer promise, they often struggle to replicate the texture and mouthfeel of conventional meat. As a result,hybrid meat products combining animal and plant proteins offer a compelling compromise that balances sensory appeal with sustainability. This study investigated the application of rice protein (RP), known for its high digestibility and low allergenicity, in chicken nuggets through various incorporation strategies. In addition, the myofibrillar protein-to-water (MP/water) ratio was introduced as a key indicator for evaluating texture performance. Three RP application methods were tested in this study. First, RP was used to replace chicken meat at 10%, 20%, and 30% levels. Results showed that as the replacement ratio increased, product hardness and overall sensory acceptance significantly declined, and the microstructure became looser. However, with 10% replacement, the products maintained comparable quality to the control. To improve texture under replacement conditions, RP underwent deamidation to enhance solubility and functionality. Nonetheless, deamidated RP performed similarly to the unmodified form, indicating limited improvement. Given these constraints, RP was subsequently added as a supplementary ingredient (5%, 10% and 15%) without altering the amounts of chicken or water. This approach increased hardness and produced denser, though disorganized, microstructures,demonstrating RP’s structural contribution. To determine whether these textural changes were associated with variations in MP/water ratio due to the changes in meat and water contents, water levels were adjusted under replacement conditions. A strong positive correlation (r = 0.931) was observed between MP/water ratio and nugget hardness,confirming its role as a critical determinant for the nugget texture. Overall, this study confirms the feasibility and potential of applying rice protein in comminuted meat products such as chicken nuggets and proposes the MP/water ratio as a reliable indicator of texture erformance. Future formulation of plant-protein-based meat products should consider not only the intrinsic functional properties of the protein but also the impact on MP/water ratio, which may guide the ptimization of texture stability and overall product quality.