The development and consumption of meat substitutes is increasing worldwide as a result of concerns over environmental issues, growing population, and limited resources [1]. Among the various meat substitutes, the plant-based meat analog market is experiencing a significant growth rate, due to its promising sustainability. As the market expands, analogs are provided to consumers in various forms, such as the analogs of ground beef, burger patties, and chicken wings [2].

Plant-based patties are made using a variety of ingredients such as textured protein, binders, oil, flavorings, and water [3]. However, due to its weaker structure and cohesivity of textured proteins, binders and oils are essential to make the desired patty form [4]. In plant-based meat analogs, oil plays a significant role in enhancing the desirable attributes, including tenderness and juiciness [3]. However, these oils are usually used in a liquid form which have a low melting point, with its viscosity decreasing when heated [5]. Thus, their application results in oil loss during the cooking process [6]. Furthermore, oil loss reduces the weight of the product and deteriorates the texture profiles, thereby diminishing the sensory outcome of the final products [7,8].

Recently, various strategies have been studied to structure liquid oil into emulsions or gels, such as oleogels and bigels, through gelation and solidification [[9], [10], [11]]. These structured oils are often used in meat analogs to prevent oil loss and enhance properties such as texture, thermal characteristics, and sensory properties [12,13]. Typically, these emulsions require the use of an emulsifier to make a thermodynamically stable system and achieve the desired stability. However, traditional emulsifiers are typically composed of chemically small molecules that could have potential adverse effects on human health [14,15]. Among the structured oils, Pickering emulsion (PE) serves as an example where droplet interfaces are stabilized by solid particles [16]. Also, PEs are known to improve the stability of quality, juiciness, and palatability in food products [17,18]. Furthermore, in comparison with conventional emulsions, PE offers additional advantages including safety, coalescence prevention, the maintenance of a dense layer, and a reduction in droplet size due to their favorable processing characteristics [14,15].

Considering the noted effectiveness of PEs, the selection of suitable stabilizers is crucial for the production of PEs. Stabilizers in PEs form a rigid steric barrier of a compact layer, maintain the initial droplets, and stabilize them [[19], [20], [21], [22]]. Recent studies have explored combinations of stabilizers that can offer organoleptic characteristics, cost-effectiveness, and food-grade standards [16,23]. For example, methylcellulose (MC) contributes to the creation of a rheological solid-like property through its oil sorption, foaming, and gelation abilities [24]. Xanthan gum (XG), a thickening agent, has been reported to improve apparent viscosity, textural property, and thermal stability [25]. Pea protein, which has high protein content, is widely used as a stabilizer due to its foaming, gelling, and emulsifying capacity [26,27]. Based on these previous findings, we hypothesized that the mixture of polysaccharides (MC and XG) and pea protein could improve the properties of PEs and that replacing oil with PE could enhance the quality of the plant-based patties by diminishing the fluid loss.

Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical and sensory properties of the PE and the plant-based patties formulated with the PE. Further, the physicochemical characteristics of PE and PE-added plant-based patties were used to select the most suitable type of PE for the production of plant-based patties.