Texture Independently Drives Liking in AI-Generated Alternative Protein Burgers

TL;DR

This study links mechanical texture measurements with sensory perception and liking of AI-generated alternative protein burgers, highlighting resilience as a key factor influencing consumer preference.

Contribution

It identifies specific textural features that drive perception and liking, emphasizing resilience as a target for texture engineering in alternative proteins.

Findings

Animal-based burgers have distinct firm, fatty, and cohesive textures.

Mushroom- and plant-based burgers deviate in springy, gummy, dry, and brittle textures.

Resilience is the strongest mechanical predictor of perceived meatiness and liking.

Abstract

Texture shapes how we perceive and like food, yet clear links between mechanical measurements and sensory perception of texture remain elusive. Here we combine sensory data from a blind tasting with 101 participants with mechanical texture profile analysis across six burgers to identify the textural features that drive consumer perception and liking. We compare five burgers -- generated with artificial intelligence -- with animal-based, plant-based, mushroom-based, and hybrid animal-mushroom patties, and the classical Big\,Mac. Three main findings emerge: First, animal-based burgers occupy a distinctive and coherent sensory-mechanical region associated with attributes such as firm, fatty, and holds together. Second, mushroom- and plant-based burgers deviate from this region in protein-dependent ways: mushroom-based burgers associate with springy and gummy textures, while plant-based burgers associate with dry, brittle, and crumbly textures. Hybrid animal-mushroom burgers, however, maintain sensory profiles comparable to fully animal-based burgers. Third, resilience emerges as the strongest mechanical correlate of perceived meatiness and sensory texture, while stiffness and hardness show no statistically significant association with consumer perception. Texture independently predicts overall liking alongside flavor: increasing texture liking by one point increases overall liking by 0.28. Among all sensory attributes, meatiness is the dominant predictor of texture liking. These findings identify resilience as a promising target for texture engineering and establish texture as a critical design objective for sustainable alternative proteins.