Plant-Based Alternatives to Meat Products: Innovative Processing Technologies and Their Future Perspectives

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2025 | Viewed by 4873

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Food Land and Agribusiness Management Department, Harper Adams University, Shropshire, Newport TF10 8NB, UK
Interests: plant-based foods; alternative proteins; functional properties of proteins; meat alternatives

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Guest Editor
Aquatic Biotechnology and Biology, Natural Resources Institute, Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK
Interests: plant-based foods; alternative proteins; functional properties of proteins; meat alternatives

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Guest Editor
Department of Food Science, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire TF10 8NB, UK
Interests: yeast; brewing; distilling; food safety; metabolism; simultaneous saccharification; fermentation; solid state fermentation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the continual increase in the world population, there has been an increase in the need for food, and particularly protein, to feed the growing population. Proteins of animal origin have, in the past, been key to feeding the human population; however, animal husbandry has in recent years come under heavy criticism due to its impact on the environment. In particular, the rearing of animals contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, which have an impact on climate change. Consequently, there has been a shift to move away from proteins of animal origin, hence the rise in the search for alternative proteins, such as those of plant origin, substitute meats being a good example.

For this reason, a Special Issue of Foods is being released, focused on plant-based alternatives to meat products: innovative processing technologies and their future perspectives. It will provide an overview of the current status and future perspectives of plant-based alternatives to meat products in addition to looking at innovative technologies that could be adapted to enhance the production of alternatives.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Plant-based alternatives to meat products.
  • Innovate processing technologies for plant-based alternatives to meat products.
  • Bioactive compounds from food matrices with antidiabetic potential.
  • Future prospects to produce plant-based alternatives to meat products.
  • Challenges and opportunities for the formulation of plant-based alternatives to meat products.
  • Consumer knowledge and preferences for plant-based alternatives to meat products.
  • Plant-based alternatives production technology.

This Special Issue on “Plant-Based Alternatives to Meat Products: Innovative Processing Technologies and Their Future Perspectives” will include a selection of recent research and current review articles on plant-based meat alternatives. This Special Issue is particularly focused on articles describing the innovative processing technologies in the production of plant-based meat alternatives and their future perspectives.

Dr. Claire Darizu Munialo
Dr. Parag Acharya
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • plant-based foods
  • meat analogues
  • meat alternatives
  • meat substitutes
  • substitute meat products
  • alternative foods
  • foods of plant origin
  • plant-based meat alternatives
  • future foods

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1559 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Meat Sausages with Cereal Ingredients: A Systematic Review and Development Trial with the Assessment of Physicochemical and Sensory Attributes
by Anna Olewnik-Mikołajewska, Dominika Guzek, Dominika Głąbska and Krystyna Gutkowska
Foods 2024, 13(21), 3436; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13213436 - 28 Oct 2024
Viewed by 665
Abstract
A number of consumers in developed countries are now reducing the amount of meat in their diets, so the development of novel alternatives for conventional meat products is becoming a challenge for the meat industry. The aim of this study was to analyse [...] Read more.
A number of consumers in developed countries are now reducing the amount of meat in their diets, so the development of novel alternatives for conventional meat products is becoming a challenge for the meat industry. The aim of this study was to analyse the possibility of developing hybrid meat sausages with cereal ingredients, based on a systematic review of the literature, as well as a development trial of a hybrid dry snack stick sausage with groats with an assessment of its physicochemical and sensory attributes. A systematic review of peer-reviewed studies about hybrid meat sausages with cereal ingredients, including bibliometric network analysis, was conducted. The development trial was conducted including physicochemical analyses and sensory assessment of the hybrid semi-dry sausages, produced as a ready-to-eat snack (cabanossi) with groats, obtained on an industrial scale. Among the studied hybrid meat products with cereal ingredients, there were patties, frankfurters, salami, and other sausages, while the cereal products added included various components obtained from rice, wheat, chia, and oats. The usefulness of the applied cereal components was emphasised in order to obtain a product of a potential better nutritional value and higher health-promoting properties, as well as being acceptable, or sometimes even better, and described as being products of a good quality. The development trial allowed us to obtain the hybrid semi-dry ready-to-eat cabanossi sausages with groats, which were compared with the hybrid semi-dry ready-to-eat cabanossi sausages with sunflower seeds. Both studied products were characterised by a composition in agreement with requirements, but of a reduced fat content (with hybrid semi-dry ready-to-eat cabanossi sausages with groats being even lower than for those with sunflower seeds; p < 0.0001). Their sensory properties were acceptable, even if the plant-based components were recognisable. The characteristics of the hybrid meat products with cereal ingredients both in the literature and development trial were acceptable, and what is even more important is that they are characterised by a potential to be presented as a product of a better nutritional value and higher health-promoting properties. Full article
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Review

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13 pages, 993 KiB  
Review
Plant-Based Meat Analogues and Consumer Interest in 3D-Printed Products: A Mini-Review
by Owen Miller, Christopher J. Scarlett and Taiwo O. Akanbi
Foods 2024, 13(15), 2314; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13152314 - 23 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1612
Abstract
The markets for plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) are growing worldwide, showing the increasing consumer demand for and acceptance of these new products. Three-dimensional (3D) food printing is a new technology with huge potential for printing products customised to suit consumers’ wants and needs. [...] Read more.
The markets for plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) are growing worldwide, showing the increasing consumer demand for and acceptance of these new products. Three-dimensional (3D) food printing is a new technology with huge potential for printing products customised to suit consumers’ wants and needs. There is a broad acceptance from consumers regarding the safety and desirability of consuming food products that are produced using 3D printing. As this is a new technology, consumers must be provided with relevant information from a trusted source, with further research needing to be conducted within the context of the identified market and culture. By embracing the strength of customisation of 3D printing and coupling this with the global demand for plant-based products, 3D printed PBMAs could be a future challenger to the currently popular production method of extrusion. Therefore, this article reviews consumer interests in PBMAs and summarises opportunities for using 3D printing technology to produce plant-based meat analogues. Full article
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18 pages, 1398 KiB  
Review
Dietary Fibers: Shaping Textural and Functional Properties of Processed Meats and Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
by Aleksandra Marczak and Ana C. Mendes
Foods 2024, 13(12), 1952; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13121952 - 20 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1828
Abstract
The search for alternative sources of plant-based ingredients to improve the textural and sensory properties of plant-based meat alternatives (PMAs) is a growing trend, with the potential to enhance the sustainability of global food systems. While much focus has been placed on plant-based [...] Read more.
The search for alternative sources of plant-based ingredients to improve the textural and sensory properties of plant-based meat alternatives (PMAs) is a growing trend, with the potential to enhance the sustainability of global food systems. While much focus has been placed on plant-based proteins, it is known today that dietary fibers (DFs) can also play a key role in the textural and other physicochemical properties of traditional processed meat products and PMAs. This review examined the latest scientific literature regarding the advantages of using DF in food. It showcases the latest applications of DF in processed meats, PMAs, and the effects of DF on the functional properties of food products, thereby aiming to increase DF applications to create improved, healthier, and more sustainable meat and PMA foods. The predominant effects of DF on PMAs and processed meats notably include enhanced gel strength, emulsion stability, improved water-holding capacity, and the formation of a uniform, porous microstructure. DF also commonly enhances textural properties like hardness, chewiness, springiness, and cohesiveness. While the impact of DF on processed meats mirrors that of PMAs, selecting the right DF source for specific applications requires considering factors such as chemical structure, solubility, size, concentration, processing conditions, and interactions with other components to achieve the desired outcomes. Full article
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