In burger form, sunflower flour has a mild flavor and high protein and healthy fat content. Culture of the yellow plant, not genetically modified, grows in Europe.
A team of researchers from Brazil and Germany recently developed a meat substitute made from sunflower flourarguing that this solution combines sustainability, high nutritional content and even a texture surprisingly similar to meat. Rich in protein and minerals, this burger will have a mild flavor and a healthy lipid profile, scientists say.
It all starts with the oil extraction of sunflower seeds. To make the flour obtained safe and easily digestible, peels and phenolic compounds are removed which darken the product and make it difficult to absorb nutrients.
The team made two versions of the meat substitute: one made with roasted grain flour and the other with textured sunflower protein. Both recipes were enriched with tomato powder, spices and sunflower oils, linseed and olive oilin order to improve flavor and nutritional value. The mixtures were molded into small burgers and subjected to sensory and physicochemical tests.
The results showed that the version with textured protein had better consistency and a higher content of proteins and healthy fatsnamely monounsaturated fatty acids, note the . This variant also provided significant amounts of minerals: 49% of the recommended daily dose of iron, 68% of zinc, 95% of magnesium and 89% of manganese.
Of course, the study does not forget the environmental and economic advantages of sunflower flour as “new meat”. Sunflower cultivation is already common in Europe and is expanding in Brazil, being a non-genetically modified plant — a characteristic valued by consumers looking for natural alternatives.
According to Maria Teresa Bertoldo Pacheco, ITAL researcher and main author of the article in the magazine Food Research International, removing the skins and phenolic compounds gives the flour a neutral flavor and aroma, making it more versatile than other vegetable proteins.
The project is the result of a collaboration between the Institute of Food Technology (ITAL) and the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), in the state of São Paulo, and the German institute Fraunhofer IVV.
Perhaps making sunflower seeds into a burger is actually the best solution, since, in their original form, they are annoying a lot of people…
