The health conscious consumers have given a boost to vegetarianism and veganism and meat lovers are at the verse of adopting new source for their protein plant-meat. Yes, you are reading it correct, plant-meat. I am not sure who discovered the word “plant-meat” but in today’s world anything like fake-food, plant-meat, clean-meat, green-meat – all confusing words are making more headlines. People hear these words in social media and it goes viral and become a commercial buzz word for a new product.

The health-conscious consumers are on the lookout for nutritious and convenient food item. The vegetarianism is the key for the hunt of meals that resembles meat in sensory characteristics and not derived from animal sources. This is the point where meat analogue were developed and received its name “plant-meat. Plant-meat or meat analogue is the food which is structurally similar to meat however, differs in nutritional composition. A plant-meat is nothing but a meat analogue or a meat substitute, mock-meat, faux-meat or imitation-meat, and approximates aesthetic characteristics and sensory traits of specific types of meat.

It is true that today’s consumers are very much concerned about sustainable sources of food, climate changes, and our beloved planet. We all should do everything in our power to protect our environment so that next generation could enjoy same or better thing in future. We all know that killing animals for our food is not good. We all agree that feeding 10 billion people in the next 50 years is going to be a big challenge. But we should not agree when someone tries to twist meaning of meaningful words. Meat has always been understood as animal derived food. But somehow now, we seems to be comfortable with names like plant-burger, plant-sausage, plant-bacon, plant-hotdog, plant-jerky, and plant-meat.

What is more confusing is how switching your meal from animal derived food to plant foods is suddenly now going to address a BIG issues like human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources, and animal welfare. This sounds like all this while we have been eating only animal derived foods and there were no plant foods in our meal. Looks like we completely forgot spinach, broccoli, potato, and so many vegetables and fruits we have been eating since centuries. This is really a weird way to address big issues like human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources, and animal welfare. What is more complex and confusing is how eating broccoli can address animal welfare or climate change, and human health. As if we never ate animal source of food for health.

Texturized vegetable proteins can replace meat products at the same time as imparting an economical, useful and high-protein food aspect or may be fed on immediately as meat analogues. Meat analogues are successful due to their healthful image (LDL cholesterol free), meat-like texture, and low cost. Mycoprotein a meat analog is fungal in starting place and is used as an excessive-protein, low-fat, precise texture and health-promoting food element. All the knowledgeable evaluations stress the desirability to lessen the intake of animal products and growth consumption of fiber-wealthy carbohydrates, plant primarily based proteins and clean fruit and vegetables a good way to minimize risk of heart disease, mature onset diabetes, obesity and (possibly) a few cancers also.

Soya meat/Textured vegetable proteins (TVP) are generally, the ones fabricated vegetable products that can be used to update meat completely in a food serving. Although most of the vegetable proteins are of an inferior exceptional in comparison to the animal protein however legumes are precise supply of protein containing about 25-50% protein. Soya meat is extremely rich in protein with protein content material over 50%, but the protein content material drops while TVP is rehydrated. TVP is produced using hot extrusion of defatted soya proteins, resulting in expanded high protein chunks, nuggets, strips, grains and different shapes, in which the denaturated proteins provide TVP textures just like the meat. The fibrous, insoluble, porous TVP can absorb water. Textured soy proteins (TSP) are processed to impart a shape and look that resembles meat, seafood or poultry while hydrated. Soy protein produce has ended up increasingly more popular due to their low price, high nutritional value, and versatile useful properties.

Quorn–the mycoprotein- Quorn is the brand name for a line of foods made from mycoprotein (Fusarium venenatum). Quorn commodities takes the shape of faux hen patties, nuggets, and cutlets, in addition to imitation floor beef. It springs from a single-celled fungus grown in big fermentation vats which is processed and textured to provide a meal which may be effortlessly incorrect for meat. Generally, the filamentous fungus is high-quality chosen for the manufacturing of a meat substitute because it became believed that the mycelia could impart a fibrous texture, corresponding to that of meat, to the very last product. Quorn products consist of steaks, burgers, hen breasts as well as sliced meats and ready meals which  include lasagna.

Tofu- derived from soybeans is possibly the most widely identified meat alternative; it is a superb supply of protein, calcium, and iron. It is usually available in block form. ‘Tofu’ prepared by way of coagulation of soymilk by CaSO4 or MgCl2 consists of about 8% of general proteins, 4-5% lipids and approximately 2% of carbohydrates on fresh weight basis.

Tempeh is made from soybeans which have been soaked and cooked to melt them. Like bitter dough bread, tempeh calls for a starter culture/inoculum (Rhizopus oligoporus), that’s introduced to the cooked beans. This combination is left for twenty-four hours, and the result is a corporation textured product with a incredibly nutty flavor and a texture much like a chewy mushroom. Tempeh is commercially to be had in the strip and cake form and is used in comparable culinary contexts as tofu because it has a denser, “meatier” texture.

Genetic engineering can beautify the nice of plant primarily based food products through the silencing of genes. New plant primarily based meat analogues ought to taste, feel and odor better than or at the least as top as animal meat in keeping with the perceptions of the majority of customers. It is very probable that flavor (umami flavor related to meat) and texture (fibre like as in meat products) are the maximum crucial keys to success, and at the identical time, the biggest challenges for the researchers.

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