Versatility of microbial consortia and sensory properties induced by the composition of different milk and pea protein-based gels. (January 2020) - Ben-Harb, Salma
Abstract: The use of pea protein is limited in food by the persistence of off-flavours. Fermentation by microbial consortia could be a way to circumvent this problem. The aim of our study was to investigate the adaptation potential and metabolic features of consortia as a function of the matrix composition (pea and/or milk proteins). Three designed consortia were investigated for their ability (i) to grow in gels containing 100% pea proteins, 50% pea-50% milk proteins and 100% milk proteins; (ii) to reduce off-flavours and increase aroma perception. VEGAN is suited for the pea gel (PG): it better colonises than in the mixed (PMG) and milk gels (MG), except for lactic acid bacteria that grow better with lactose. In PG, aromatic notes are mainly smoked/onion/garlic, while those in MG and PMG are perceived as dairy/cheese. MEGAN is adapted to MG and PG: it did not mask "green notes" in PMG and generates cheesy and fruity notes in MG. The ExEco consortium is not suited in PG: it does not mask "green notes". Cheese, yogurt and fruits (apple, apricot) notes were perceived in PMG and MG. Our study shows that fermentation could be applied to develop pea-based products with diversified sensory characteristics. Highlights: Microbial consortia were tested for the fermentation of pea protein-based matrices. The design of microbial consortia adapted to the matrix could reduce off-flavors. Metabolic activity and growth of the microbial consortia is driven by the matrix composition. Our procedure can be used to produce diversified aroma and sensory profiles in pea-based products.