Research Progress on the Effect of Processing Technology on the Sensory Characteristics of Plant-based Chicken Nuggets

As a result of increasing awareness of environmental protection and healthy eating among people, plant-based chicken nuggets are becoming popular as soon as they are advertised. However, systematic research on the effect of processing technology on the sensory characteristics of plant-based chicken nuggets is still lacking. Hence, the current paper aims to summarize the impact of current processing technology on the appearane, texture, and flavor of plant-based chicken nuggets and present the significance of consumer affective testing in terms of process improvements, further suggesting production and product improvements. Based on the problems in current research, it is crucial to focus on the correlation analysis between sensory and instrumental data and determine the quality control points of plant-based chicken nuggets, which are the keys to establishing the sensory evaluation standard system for plant-based chicken nuggets. Furthermore, there is an urgent need to develop a new process to mask the unique beany flavor and conduct an in-depth study on the preferences and acceptances of Chinese consumers. This would provide the direction for developing new processes and sensory characteristics of plant-based chicken nuggets that are more suitable for the Chinese market.