Optimising amino acid composition and protein digestion of pea-based foods.

Abstract

As world population growth continues to pressure agricultural development, the need for developing sustainable, environmentally friendly food alternatives becomes increasingly important. In Asia, tempeh fermentation has long been used to improve the nutritional value of soybean and other legumes to create meat alternatives. By combining tempeh fermentation with locally grown substrates, new alternatives can be created, increasing nutritional quality while reducing environmental impact of intercontinental import. Here, a critical examination of the tempeh fermentation process and the factors governing the nutritional composition of field pea aims to assess the potential of field pea tempeh as a high-quality meat analogue. Field pea can contain up to 37.1% dw protein and a variety of beneficial micronutrients. Its indispensable amino acid profile is relatively well-balanced, limited by methionine, cysteine and tryptophan. Tempeh fermentation using Rhizopus spp. improves protein content, protein solubility and free amino acid content. In addition, tempeh fermentation produces several vitamins while reducing levels of anti-nutrients and flatulence-causing oligosaccharides. The nutritional value of field pea and field pea tempeh is strongly influenced by cultivar and environmental conditions, and can be improved through substrate mixing, co-inoculation and genetic modification. Combining tempeh fermentation with improved field pea protein quality has the potential to produce a high-quality meat alternative.