Abstract:Using lactic acid bacteria to prepare fermented plant-protein meat， this study investigated the changes in its physicochemical properties and nutritional components during fermentation and sensory quality during storage. The results showed that the pH value and reducing sugar content of the fermented plant-protein meat represented a decreasing trend， while the total acid content showed an increasing trend during fermentation. Meanwhile， soybean tissue protein gradually degraded during fermentation， with noticeable weakening of the bands around 35 kDa and 11-25 kDa， indicating a loosening of the secondary protein structure， a gradual decrease in soluble protein content， and an increase in polypeptide and amino acid content. Additionally， the results of size-exclusion chromatography demonstrated an increased proportion of polypeptides or amino acids with a molecular weight below 1 000 Da， showing that proteins were broken down into smaller molecular weight polypeptides or amino acids. During storage， the pH value and sensory scores of the fermented plant proteinmeat continuously decreased， with significant rancidity occurring after 14 days， making the flavor unacceptable. However， the viable count of lactic acid bacteria remained at a high level. Therefore， considering all factors， the shelf life of this fermented product could be set at around 14 days when stored at 4 ℃. In conclusion， fermentation imparted better nutritional quality and a longer shelf life to fermented plant-based meat.