## 3 Results and Discussion
### Meat Substitute Quality
The observed hardness values after 12 days (20.03 N) approach those reported for certain meat products, suggesting that the texture evolution may actually improve meat-like characteristics during initial storage [63]. Bioactive properties of the formulated products showed distinct profiles. The reducing sugar content (DNS assay) was 1.34 \(\pm\) 0.09 mg glucose equivalent/g DM for the meat substitute, compared to 5.32 \(\pm\) 1.31 for the LP30/TF70 flour control. This reduction indicates sugar consumption or modification during processing. The substantial reduction in reducing sugar content from 5.32 \(\pm\) 1.31 mg GLE/g DM in the LP30/TF70 control to 1.34 \(\pm\) 0.09 mg GLE/g DM in the final product indicates significant sugar consumption during thermal processing. This 75% reduction can be attributed to Maillard reactions occurring during the 120 \({}^{\circ}\)C cooking process, where reducing sugars react with amino acids to form complex flavor and color compounds [64]. _Luffa cylindrica_ seeds have been confirmed to contain amino acids, mainly glutamic acid, aspartic acid and arginine [59]. The DPPH antioxidant activity in ethanolic extracts was 0.99 \(\pm\) 0.03 mg TE/g DM for the meat substitute versus 5.68 \(\pm\) 0.07 for the LP30/TF70 control. The aqueous extracts were 0.63 \(\pm\) 0.02 mg TE/g DM for the meat substitute compared to 4.55 \(\pm\) 0.51 for the control, indicating significant antioxidant loss during thermal processing. The ABTS radical scavenging capacity demonstrated similar patterns, with the meat substitute containing 0.82 \(\pm\) 0.01 mg TE/g DM in ethanolic extracts versus 5.26 \(\pm\) 0.02 for the LP30/TF70 control. The aqueous extracts were 0.54 \(\pm\) 0.06 mg TE/g DM for the meat substitute compared to 5.72 \(\pm\) 0.33 for the control. The DPPH radical scavenging activity showed marked decreases in both ethanolic (5.68 to 0.99 mg TE/g DM) and aqueous extracts (4.55 to 0.63 mg TE/g DM), representing 82.6% and 86.2% losses, respectively. Similarly, the ABTS values decreased from 5.26 to 0.82 mg TE/g DM (84.4% loss) in the ethanolic extracts. These substantial losses align with the thermal degradation of phenolic compounds and other antioxidants during high-temperature processing, as reported by [PERSON] et al. (2019) [65]. The degradation of betalains from the red beet component likely contributed significantly to antioxidant loss. [PERSON] et al. (2023) [66] demonstrated that betanins are almost completely degraded when heated at 100 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 60 min, explaining the substantial antioxidant activity reduction in our 120 \({}^{\circ}\)C, 30 min cooking process. Interestingly, the FRAP values showed an opposite trend, increasing from 0.05 to 0.58 mg FeSO\({}_{4}\)/g DM in the ethanolic extracts and from 0.10 to 0.14 mg FeSO\({}_{4}\)/g DM in the aqueous extracts. This unexpected increase in reducing power could be attributed to the formation of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) with reducing properties, as demonstrated by [PERSON] and [PERSON] (2001) [67]. The higher value of reducing activity of the meat substitute could be due to the presence of reducing substances from coral lentils and red beets. It was confirmed that coral lentils contain substances with strong reducing properties, such as phenolic acids, gallic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, and p-coumaric acid, and carotenoids such as beta-carotene [68; 69]. In turn, in beetroot, the main carotenoids are beta-carotene and lutein, which have strong reducing properties [70]; this could have influenced the increase in the reducing activity of the obtained meat substitute. The comprehensive analysis reveals that while the _L. cylindrica_ meat substitute undergoes significant changes during refrigerated storage, particularly in texture and color, it maintains structural integrity over 12 days. The initial bioactive losses during processing are substantial, but no further significant degradation was observed during storage, suggesting the good stability of the remaining compounds.