Freezing Lentils Can Unlock Meat-Like Fibrous Textures with Minimal Processing

Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a freeze-structuring technique to create gels from whole legumes that have a texture similar to animal muscle fibers. This innovative method offers a minimally processed approach to producing meat and seafood alternatives, tapping into the current bean renaissance due to their nutritional, affordability, and environmental advantages. By using freeze structuring, legumes like beans, lentils, and peas can be transformed into gels with a layered structure reminiscent of animal muscle fibers, appealing to meat-eaters.

The process involves soaking the legumes, blending them, heating the purée to gelatinize the starch, freezing it in a specific manner to form fibrous layers, and then thawing to retain the fibrous structure. This technique allows for the creation of clean-label plant-based proteins with meaty textures without the need for additives or complex processes. By preserving the whole-ingredient composition of legumes, freeze structuring ensures minimal processing and supports more resource-efficient and sustainable food processing practices.