The increasing awareness of sustainable food production has led to an increase in consumer demand for plant-based meat alternative products. However, significant hurdles remain for plant-based food manufacturers to create products that are as compelling as their animal-based counterparts. Many recent innovations address solutions to mimic the flavor, texture, appearance, and taste in plant-based meat analogues, however, there are still improvements needed for texture in this space. Current products, such as high moisture meat analogues and texturized vegetable proteins, on the market may replicate the initial chew down of the burger, but struggle to replicate the chewiness, springiness, and juiciness of an animal-based counterpart. Connective tissue, such as cartilage and tendon, are key components that drive a complex eating experience that consumers crave. Utilizing a plant-based connective tissue mimetic can enhance the eating experience of plant-based meat analogues by creating a more nuanced, sustained chewing experience that is like the animal-based counterpart. The plant-based connective tissue is a hydrogel pellet that was developed to designed to complement current texture solutions and emphasize texture much closer to animal counterparts. In this presentation, food application case studies that confirm the improved material properties and sensory experience of plant-based connective tissue in plant-based meat analogues will be reviewed. Speaker: Colleen Cottrell, MS