Molecular interactions of fiber-rich banana blossom powder during the structuring of mung bean protein-based high-moisture meat analogs.

Fiber-rich banana blossom powder (BBP; 63% dietary fiber) was evaluated as a structuring ingredient in mung bean protein (MBP)-based high-moisture meat analogs. Blends containing 0-10% BBP were characterized before twin-screw extrusion; extrudates were assessed for structure, texture, anisotropy, and spectroscopic changes. BBP increased water-holding capacity from 3.2 to 4.6 g water/g and median particle diameter (Dx50) from 38.5 to 61.3 μm, while bulk density decreased from 0.59 to 0.40 g/cm3. EM-7.5 showed the highest mechanical anisotropy, whereas hydration continued to increase at 10%, demonstrating endpoint-specific responses. Docking and 300 K molecular dynamics predicted persistent noncovalent associations between native MBP 8S globulin and cellulose-, hemicellulose-, and galactose-based motifs under simplified aqueous conditions. These simulations suggest a plausible interaction contribution but do not reproduce 140 °C extrusion or isolate dietary-fiber effects from other BBP constituents. These results support BBP as a formulation-dependent structuring ingredient, with the highest observed anisotropy at 7.5%.