Novel plant-based meat alternatives: future opportunities and health considerations

Abstract

Present food systems threaten population and environmental health. Evidence suggests reduced meat and increased plant-based food consumption would align with climate change and health promotion priorities. Accelerating this transition requires greater understanding of determinants of plant-based food choice. A thriving plant-based food industry has emerged to meet consumer demand and support dietary shift towards plant-based eating. ‘Traditional’ plant-based diets are low-energy density, nutrient dense, low in saturated fat and purportedly associated with health benefits. However, fast-paced contemporary lifestyles continue to fuel growing demand for meat-mimicking plant-based convenience foods which are typically ultra-processed. Processing can improve product safety and palatability and enable fortification and enrichment. However, deleterious health consequences have been associated with ultra-processing, though there is a paucity of equivocal evidence regarding the health value of novel plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) and their capacity to replicate the nutritional profile of meat-equivalents. Thus, despite the health halo often associated with plant-based eating, there is a strong rationale to improve consumer literacy of PBMAs. Understanding the impact of extensive processing on health effects may help to justify the use of innovative methods designed to maintain health benefits associated with particular foods and ingredients. Furthering knowledge regarding the nutritional value of novel PBMAs will increase consumer awareness and thus support informed choice. Finally, knowledge of factors influencing engagement of target consumer subgroups with such products may facilitate production of desirable, healthier PBMAs. Such evidence-based food manufacturing practice has the potential to positively influence future individual and planetary health.

Development of the VEGANScreener, a Tool for a Quick Diet Quality Assessment among Vegans in Europe

“…Finally, respondents noted that the sub-question on the salt content of vegan meat alternatives could be difficult to answer with only "yes" and "no" options, as some respondents might not know whether they were choosing it or not. Given that our team's intention was to capture those who take care to choose products not overly high in sodium, we added a response "do not know" to the answer scheme, assuming that those who do not intentionally choose low-sodium products from the meat alternatives category are most likely consuming sodium-rich ones [62][63][64].…”

“…As already mentioned, some vegan cheese or vegan butter products are coconut oil-and/or shea butter-based and contain high amounts of saturated fats, making them potentially unhealthy [65]. Some vegan meat alternatives and snacks may also contain excessive amounts of sodium [62][63][64]. Finally, while many of these novel products are classified as ultra-processed foods [34,66], some of which are associated with adverse health outcomes in large studies [67,68], others are not [69].…”

Legumes: A Vehicle for Transition to Sustainability

“…In terms of the health effects of PBAF, it has to be noted that there are studies showing that plant-based products are not healthier than animal products [ 144 ]. Although plant-based meat alternatives generally have lower calories and a lower fat content, they have higher amounts of carbohydrates and higher levels of sodium [ 141 , 145 ]. A high degree of processing and heterogeneity in formulation, as well as differences in digestibility and bioavailability between proteins from animal and plant origin cause skepticism and questioning regarding the unknown effects of plant-based meat alternatives on human health [ 144 ].…”

The potentials and challenges of using fermentation to improve the sensory quality of plant-based meat analogs

“…The sensory characteristics of the meat analogs are mainly affected by the product’s components, formulation, and structuring technology ( Van der Weele et al, 2019 ). Details regarding components, formulation, and structuring technologies of plant-based meat analogs are outside of this review scope and have been reviewed recently in depth by other authors ( Fresán et al, 2019 ; Samard and Ryu, 2019 ; Fiorentini et al, 2020 ; Boukid, 2021 ; Sun et al, 2021 ; Younis et al, 2022 ; Flint et al, 2023 ; Imran and Liyan, 2023 ; Yang et al, 2023 ). Hereby, the most related data was briefly highlighted to explain the current state of the sensory characteristic of resulting products and demonstrate the urgent need for a novel approach to increase their acceptability.…”