Formulation of vegan meringue with high protein content by using aquafaba

The demand for foods free of ingredients of animal origins (vegetarian or vegan) has grown in recent years, as consumers are increasingly adopting a lifestyle without products of animal origins. The increase in demand of these products is also influenced by the idea that foods exclusively from vegetable sources would be healthier. This trend creates a large potential for the development of new products. The goal of this study was to develop a formulation of vegan meringue with a high protein content based on aquafaba (water in which chickpeas have been cooked). The preparation of the meringue was based on a commercial formulation, substituting the egg white for aquafaba, decreasing sucrose and adding xanthan gum to improve consistency. The final formulation was done with 69,76% aquafaba, 17,88% demerara sugar, 10,76% vegetable protein supplement, 1,25% xanthan gum and 0,35% potassium bitartrate. The dough was prepared in a domestic food mixer with maximum speed. First, the aquafaba was mixed for 5 minutes in order to incorporate air and for the initial formation of foam. Next, the other ingredients were added separately, in the following order: potassium bitartrate, xanthan gum, sugar and protein supplement. For each addition, homogenization was performed for 2 minutes. The final mixture was manually molded and went to the oven at 100 °C for 2 hours. The meringues were evaluated by their visual aspect, by the calculation of nutritional composition according to nutritional tables and sensory analysis (test with verbal structured hedonic scale, 5 points with 50 untrained tasters previously approved by Ethics Comitee) of flavour, aroma, colour, texture and global acceptance. The visual aspect (color and texture) of the vegan meringue was similar to the standard commercial formulation, and no residual flavour of chickpeas was identified in the final product. The estimated nutritional composition (portion of 100 g) has shown 307,5 kcal, 60,5 g of carbohydrates, 14,6 g of protein, 0,7 g of lipids, 1,0 g of fibers and 95 mg of sodium. This composition represented an increase of five times in the protein content and reduction of 14% in carbohydrates, also adding fibers, which were absent in the commercial formulation. The sensory analysis indicated high acceptance of this vegan product, with average grades of: 89,2% for flavour, 86,8% for the aroma, 91,2% for color, 88,8% for texture and 88,0% for sensory acceptance. The sweetness reached an average value of 2,98 (while the ideal is 3,0 in the applied scale). Results showed that the developed formulation shows great technological, nutritional, sensory and market potential due to (i) similarity in preparation and final aspect regarding the traditional formulation; (ii) increase in the protein content and incorporation of fibers in a food traditionally rich in simple sugars; (iii) high sensory acceptance and (iv) absence of raw materials from animal sources. Also, using water in which chickpeas were cooked (aquafaba) allowed for the reduction of nutrient loss after cooking this vegetable.