Emergent food proteins – Towards sustainability, health and innovation

Abstract

There is an increasing demand for alternative and sustainable protein sources, such as vegetables, insects and microorganisms, that can meet the nutritional and sensory pleasantness needs of consumers. This emergent interest for novel protein sources, allied with "green" and cost-effective processing technologies, such as high hydrostatic pressure, ohmic heating and pulsed electric fields, can be used as strategies to improve the consumption of proteins from sustainable sources without compromising food security. In addition to their nutritional value, these novel proteins present several technological-functional properties that can be used to create various protein systems in different scales (i.e., macro, micro and nano scale), which can be tailored for a specific application in innovative food products. However, in order for these novel protein sources to be broadly used in future food products, their fate in the human gastrointestinal tract (e.g., digestion and bioavailability) must be assessed, as well as their safety for consumers must be clearly demonstrated. In particular, these proteins may become novel allergens triggering adverse reactions and, therefore, a comprehensive allergenicity risk assessment is needed. This review presents an overview of the most promising alternative protein sources, their application in the production of innovative food systems, as well as their potential effects on human health. In addition, new insights on sustainable processing strategies are given.

Understanding the impact of moderate-intensity pulsed electric fields (MIPEF) on structural and functional characteristics of pea, rice and gluten concentrates

“…The increasing issues associated with sustainability and food security of proteins consumption have led to an increase interest in the utilization of plant proteins (Boland et al 2013;FAO 2013FAO , 2017. The latter has lower production costs and are less resource intensive, and more environmental friendly than animal ones (Fasolin et al 2019;van der Spiegel et al 2013). From a nutritional point of view, it is widely accepted that a partial replacement of animal proteins with vegetable ones is associated with the reduction of health diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Song et al 2016;Tharrey et al 2018).…”

Control of Biological Hazards in Insect Processing: Application of HACCP Method for Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Powders

“…Therefore, there is a real need for production of alternative protein sources. Proteins of vegetable origin were identified as the first candidates and have been thoroughly investigated as they are already present in the human diet [3,4]. Another alternative is proteins from insect sources, as highlighted in several agency reports and scientific communications [5,6].…”

Advancing the Role of Food Processing for Improved Integration in Sustainable Food Chains

“…The total global consumption of animal proteins is expected to be increased by ∼70% from 2007 to 2030 (30). There is increasing demand also for plant-based proteins due to the negative consumer perception of animal sources of protein, increased consumer demand for vegetarian options, and an aversion in Western cultures about insect-based protein sources for food applications (31). Animal-based foods produce higher levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) than plant-based foods.…”