Formulation Of Healthy And Sustainable Foods Based On Fermented Yellow Pea

Abstract

Yellow peas possess an excellent nutritional profile with a high protein content and fermentation,
enhancing the flour's functional and physicochemical properties. This study evaluated the impact of
Solid-State Fermentation (SSF) with Rhizopus delemar (formerly known as Rhizopus oryzae) and
Submerged State (SmF) with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum on yellow pea flour, alongside its application
in crispbread formulation and burger patty.
The functional properties of the flour, pH and acidity, moisture content, water adsorption capacity, oil
adsorption capacity, protein content and pasting properties were measured. Alongside its application in
crispbread formulation, analysis for its moisture, texture and protein and burger patty’s cooking loss,
reduction in diameter, moisture content, and texture analysis was performed. Prototype crispbreads were
formulated by replacing 30% of the rye flour with the fermented yellow pea flours, and hybrid beef
patties were made by 50% substitution with yellow pea for beef.
The formulation for crisp followed Laura (2024), and for patty, through Solina A.B.’s consultation. The
sensory evaluation was done for both of the products. Finally, the Life Cycle Assessment was carried
out, focused on measuring the carbon footprint of each product from Cradle to Gate. Fermentation
effectively altered the flour's physicochemical profile: protein content increased from 19.00% in the
unfermented control to 20.87% for the SSF sample and 23.50% for the SmF sample, while moisture
content decreased, respectively. Functional properties also improved, with a slight increase in water
absorption capacity despite a slight decrease in oil absorption capacity. Pasting property analysis
revealed that SSF flour exhibited reductions across pasting temperature, peak, trough, and setback
viscosities, whereas SmF flour demonstrated higher heat resistance with high pasting temperature but
lower peak and trough, setback viscosities compared to the control. Instrumental texture analysis
demonstrated that the SSF sample had the desirable crunch, also SmF is the most effective for masking
leguminous bitterness.
Hybrid burger patties indicated that the unfermented control exhibited the highest diameter shrinkage,
cooking loss was most pronounced in the SmF patty. Also, texture analysis and moisture content of
cooked patties indicated no significant differences among the samples. However, qualitative feedback
in sensory evaluations of patty across all three samples highlighted improvements, specifically the
addition of spices and enhancements to the product's overall juiciness for higher overall acceptability.
The LCA revealed that raw material acquisition was the primary driver of total greenhouse gas
emissions, ranging from 10.45–28.88 kg CO₂e for the patties analysed (control, SmF, SSF, Commercial)
and 0.66–2.50 kg CO₂e for the crispbread. This is due to the high upstream impacts of beef. During the
processing stage, pan-frying and baking emerged as the dominant sources of energy consumption for the
patties and crispbreads, respectively.

Popular Abstract

Switching to a plant-based diet isn’t always an easy sell for consumers. Raw yellow pea flour often faces
market resistance due to its distinct “beany” off-flavors and natural anti-nutritional factors. To overcome
these hurdles, this Master’s thesis investigates how microbial fermentation can improve the functional
and sensory qualities of yellow pea flour. By utilizing Lactiplantibacillus bacteria for submerged
fermentation (SmF) and Rhizopus delemar (formerly known as Rhizopus oryzae) fungi for Solid State
Fermentation (SSF), we naturally improved the protein content and flour functional properties to
transform it to food prototypes.
With a growing global population, finding climate resilient and sustainable protein sources is an urgent
priority. Traditional animal farming places a heavy burden on our planet by depleting fresh water
resources and driving up greenhouse gas emission. In contrast, nutrient dense pulses like the yellow pea
offer a profoundly greener footprint, requiring far less water and fossil energy than livestock.
To bridge the gap between raw ingredients and final consumer options, the processed flours were tested
in two food products namely, traditional Swedish crispbread and 50-50 beef to yellow pea hybrid burger
patty. In the Crispbread trials, the two fermentation methods showed complementary physical and
sensory strengths within the final products. The key strengths of SSF crispbread had a crunchy snap of
traditional rye crispbread. Meanwhile, the key strength of the SmF crispbread formulation lie in its
uniform acidification, which masked leguminous bitterness and eliminated beany notes, earning it the
highest panel marks for flavor and overall sensory acceptance.
The development of the hybrid burger patty targeted reducing meat intake without eliminating the
familiar texture and flavour of traditional beef products. The key strengths of the fungal SSF hybrid patty
are its low cooking loss and volume retention during pan frying, as the enzymatic breakdown from fungal
growth enhances water binding to minimize shrinkage and maintain structural integrity in the pan far
better than unfermented control or SmF formulations.

• author: Unnikrishnan, Vidhu Govind and Satish Shet, Pooja
• supervisor: Claudia Lazarte
• organization: Food Technology and Nutrition (M.Sc.)
• course: KLTM02 20261
• year: 2026
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Agriculture and Food Sciences
• keywords: Yellow pea, Fermentation, Plant-based Burger Patty, Crispbread, SSF, SmF, Food Engineering Nutrition and Food Chemistry
• language: English
• id: 9238577
• date added to LUP: 2026-06-16 08:39:59
• date last changed: 2026-06-16 08:39:59