Juiciness of plant-based meat analogues

Summary

People want food that is health, sustainable and also tasty. That is why we are working to make plant-based meat analogues more enjoyable to eat. One big challenge in improving its sensory quality is juiciness, the key reason why people like meat, but not well understood in plant-based meat analogues. In my PhD, I looked into what makes plant-based meat analogues taste juicy. I studied how the structure and properties of the food changes (breakdown) during chewing and how that connects to our perception. This research helps us to understand how juiciness is perceived and how to improve the eating experience of plant-based meat analogues.