Capacity Building in Plant-Based Seafood at NC A&T State University by Development of a Research Program in Fish-less Imitation Crab Meat (Surimi)

Our main objective is to produce a cost-effective, nutritious, and tasteful plant-based surimi seafood product that may provide consumers with an additional meal option. At the same time, our goal is to build a research and experiential learning capacity in plant-based foods to prepare food and nutritional students (FNS) at NC A&T SU for the future job market. These research, educational, and experiential learning opportunities will be gained with the accomplishment of the following objectives:Objective 1: Introduce the concept of plant-based seafood to FNS students at NC A&T SU by conducting webinars and lectures.Objective 2: Develop plant-based surimi seafood at a lab scale.Objective 3: Evaluate the physicochemical properties of the developed plant-based surimi seafood.Objective 4: Investigate the microbial quality of the product during storage at refrigerated temperature.Objective 5: Assess the consumer acceptability of plant-based surimi seafood.