Texture profile analysis of heat-processed tender jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) and its potential use as a meat analog

Thermal processing is the most efficient and economical technique for the long-term preservation of tender jackfruit in ready-to-cook form on a commercial-scale. The present study investigated the effect of boiling (80, 90 and 100 °C for 5, 10 and 15 min) and steaming processing (121 °C, 1.5 atm for 5, 10 and 20 min) on the texture profile of tender jackfruit sections (core, cortex and perianth). In addition, the thermal conditions to process tender jackfruit sections were compared with cooked animal meats as references measuring the texture profile. Finally, an edible formulation using processed tender jackfruit as a meat analog was performed and characterized. The hardness, chewability and shear force values of tender jackfruit sections decreased with the highest temperature and processing time; however, core section exhibited the highest texture values followed by perianth and cortex. All jackfruit sections exhibited similar texture parameters to meat references when they were processed from 90 to 100 °C for 5–15 min by boiling process and 121 °C for 5–10 min by steaming process. The sterilized edible formulation exhibited good content of ashes, total protein and dietary fiber; as well as a high digestibility (88.92%). Moreover, this formulation conserved soluble phenols with antioxidant capacity, without microbial growth during 15 days of storage at 25 °C and with high sensorial acceptation. According to this, whole tender jackfruit has a potential use as an analog of different animal meats.