Wheat gluten's role in plant-based meat texture
What it found
In plant-based meat made by high-moisture shear processes, wheat gluten helps create a fibrous, meat-like texture by forming new disulfide bonds and separating from other proteins.
The review also looks at other plant proteins that might replace it.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Temperature and shear matter
In lab tests, wheat gluten polymerization depends on temperature, water content, and shear. Higher temperatures increase anisotropy, while too high a temperature can degrade the protein.
Other findings
Wheat gluten creates fibers
Wheat gluten forms new disulfide bonds during cooling, which helps build a fibrous, anisotropic structure similar to whole-muscle meat. Its incompatibility with other proteins in the mix is also key for structuring.
Wheat gluten in meat analogues
In commercial meat analogue samples, 15 out of 28 included wheat gluten. Products with more wheat gluten had textures closer to boiled chicken breast.
Alternative proteins
Proteins like zein from maize, leaf proteins, and oilseed proteins (rapeseed, sunflower, hemp, pumpkin) show potential to mimic wheat gluten's behavior, but more research is needed.
What the authors conclude
“The generation of new disulfide bonds after the addition of wheat gluten is critical to achieve the sought-after fibrous texture, whereas its incompatibility with the other protein phase present in the system is critical for the structuring process.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that wheat gluten's polymerization generates different degrees of anisotropy depending on process variables like temperature, hydration, and shear.
- They suggest that underutilized plant proteins could replace wheat gluten, but further evaluation of extraction processes and functionality is needed.
How it was done
Soy and pea proteins, the most common ingredients in plant-based meat, give poorer fibrousness and juiciness than real meat. Wheat gluten is often added to improve texture, but allergenicity problems with wheat gluten require alternatives.
The authors reviewed recent scientific literature on how wheat gluten behaves during high-moisture shear processes like wet extrusion and shear cell. They also evaluated underutilized plant proteins as potential replacements.
What it can’t tell you
- This is a review of laboratory and industrial studies, not a clinical trial in people. It cannot show how these meat analogues affect human health or allergenicity.
- The findings are based on specific processing conditions and formulations, so they may not apply to all plant-based meat products.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by EIT Food (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Manitoba, Canada; Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), Spain; Center for Food Innovation DSM Food & Beverage, The Netherlands
The paper
- Title
- High-Moisture Shear Processes: Molecular Changes of Wheat Gluten and Potential Plant-Based Proteins for Its Replacement
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Gasparre N, van den Berg M, Oosterlinck F, Sein A (2022). High-Moisture Shear Processes: Molecular Changes of Wheat Gluten and Potential Plant-Based Proteins for Its Replacement. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/molecules27185855Free full textPubMed 36144595DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error