LOW-COST AND HIGH-PROTEIN SOY AND CASSAVA PLANT-BASED BURGER

Burgers (made with meat) have high sensory acceptance among consumers due to their
flavors, texture, and protein content. On the other hand, some consumers are seeking to consume
fruits, vegetables and plant-based products more frequently in their daily diet; partially or
completely replacing meat consumption by plant-based food. In addition, consumers' concerns
about environmental impacts and animal welfare have been shaping the protein market. In this
context, we have developed a low-cost, high-protein soy and cassava-based burger to meet this
demand. The product was made with 78% hydrated textured soy, 11.5% cooked cassava, 5.7%
dried and ground soy, 1.5% onion powder, 1.5% garlic powder, 1% beetroot powder, and 0.8%
salt. The product exhibited sensory characteristics similar to vegetarian products in the market.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that sedentary adults consume between 0.8
g to 1 g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Therefore, a person weighing 70 kg should
consume 70 g of protein per day. The developed product (100g burger) had the following
centesimal composition: 68.33 g of moisture, 13.34 g of carbohydrates, 12.11 g of protein (17.3%
of the recommended daily intake for a 70 kg adult), 2.66 g of fiber, 1.84 g of ashes, 0.78g of lipids,
and an energy value of 108.79 kcal/100g. Although commercial burgers also have a high protein
content, their selling price is up to 18 times higher than the product presented here. The soy and
cassava burger had a total cost of around one Brazilian real per unit, making it an affordable
option for a socially vulnerable population. Therefore, the burger developed in this study offers
greater accessibility, high protein content, and low caloric value.