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Meat analogues are gradually moving from niche to mainstream products. These products are gaining popularity due to surging consumer demand for plant-based products as "better for you" and "better for the planet" alternatives. In this frame, this review aimed to provide the current and forthcoming challenges for meat analogues industry by addressing their market growth drivers, formulation, the pros and cons of conventional and innovative processing, safety and healthiness as well as consumers perception and acceptance. Despite the significant improvements made in the flavor and texture of plant-based meat analogues, food industries still have difficulties in delivering the right sensory experience and there is increased request for sustainable, nutritious and clean label ingredients. For shaping the future of plantbased meat analogues, the main driver is sustainable nutrition through prompting further improvements in formulation [by enhancing proteins functionally (pre/post-processing) and healthiness (blending plant proteins with tailored nutritional makeup and reducing salt contents)] and processing [by finding solutions to their "processed" and "ultra-processed" nature]. In the future, meat analogue companies will keep pushing the boundaries to mimic meat experience (by improving taste and healthiness) as well as reduce product price and increase product convenience.

Background: Pea (Pisum sativum) proteins are emerging as a popular alternative to those conventional (deriving from animal and soy) due to their high protein content with interesting functionality, sustainability, availability, affordability and hypo-allergenicity. This popularity has been parallel to an intensive research from protein isolation to their applications. Pea protein ingredients can be obtained through wet extraction, dry fractionation or more recently mild fractionation. As such, commercial pea proteins ingredients include flour (20-25% protein), concentrate (50-75% protein), and isolate (>80% protein). Beside protein content, these ingredients differ in their chemical composition, thereby affecting their functionality. Scope and Approach:In this perspective, this review offers the lastest update on essential knowledge for developing innovative food and beverages using pea proteins through emphasizing the production and the characteristics of pea proteins, addressing the efficiency of pea proteins as functional ingredients in foodstuffs making, and discussing the challenges encountered for pea protein popularization. Key Findings and Conclusions:Current research indicates the importance of developing extraction and drying technologies to reach target techno-functional and organoleptic attributes of pea proteins. A better modulation of processing steps can enable designing high-quality pea protein rich food and beverage.

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For centuries, ancient grains fed populations, but due to their low yield, they were abandoned and replaced by high-yielding species. However, currently, there is a renewed interest in ancient wheat and pseudocereal grains from consumers, farmers, and manufacturers. Ancient wheat such as einkorn, emmer, spelt, and Kamut R , are being reintegrated because of their low fertilizer input, high adaptability and important genetic diversity. New trends in pseudocereal products are also emerging, and they are mostly appreciated for their nutritional outcomes, particularly by the gluten-free market. Toward healthier lifestyle, ancient grains-based foodstuffs are a growing business and their industrialization is taking 2 pathways, either as a raw ingredient or a functional ingredient. This paper deals with these grain characteristics by focusing on the compositional profile and the technological potential.

Consumer interest in protein rich diets are increasing, with more attention being paid to the protein source. Despite the occurrence of animal proteins in the human diet, non-animal proteins are gaining popularity around the world due to their health benefits, environmental sustainability, and ethical merit. These sources of protein qualify for vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian diets. Non-animal proteins are versatile, derived mainly from cereals, vegetables, pulses, algae (seaweed and microalgae), fungi, and bacteria. This review's intent is to analyze the current and future direction of research and innovation in non-animal proteins, and to elucidate the extent (limitations and opportunities) of their applications in food and beverage industries. Prior knowledge provided relevant information on protein features (processing, structure, and techno-functionality) with particular focus on those derived from soy and wheat. In the current food landscape, beyond conventionally used plant sources, other plant proteins are gaining traction as alternative ingredients to formulate animal-free foodstuffs (e.g., meat alternatives, beverages, baked products, snack foods, and others). Microbial proteins derived from fungi and algae are also food ingredients of interest due to their high protein quantity and quality, however there is no commercial food application for bacterial protein yet. In the future, key points to consider are the importance of strain/ variety selection, advances in extraction technologies, toxicity assessment, and how this source can be used to create personalized food.

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Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most grown and consumed pulses and it is traditionally commercialised as seeds, flour or canned foods. In the frame of alternative protein sources, chickpea emerged as a rich source of dietary proteins (17-22%) that can be dry-or wet-extracted. The application of chickpea proteins as food ingredients is still in the early stages, where their properties and how they interact within food matrices are scarcely studied. Therefore, this review provides recent advances in processing, characteristics and applications of chickpea proteins. Nutritionally, these proteins have various biological activities, adequate levels of essential amino acids and protein digestibility. Technologically, their bland flavour, neutral taste and light colour make them suitable ingredients for new products development including noodles, breads, cookies and sausages. Chickpea proteins and particularly hydrolysates are a promising alternative to be used more broadly as functional ingredients.