PLANT-BASED MEAT ALTERNATIVES: NUTRITIONAL QUALITY, PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES, HEALTH IMPLICATIONS, AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

The excessive meat consumption globally has increased the growing concerns regarding sustainability of environment, resource depletion, and the health-related issues, the prevalent issues lead to development of plant-based meat alternatives as replacements for traditional animal-derived meat products. Plant-based meat substitutes are formulated by means of plant-based proteins such as soy, wheat, rice, pea and legumes and are considered to replicate the sensory, nutritional, and functional properties of meat. This review highlights the insightful overview of the nutritional quality, processing technologies, health implications, and future prospects of PBMAs. In Nutritional perspective, there are several advantages possessed by meat alternative products from having lower levels of saturated fat, absence of cholesterol, and the presence of dietary fiber and other bioactive compounds. However, concerns remain highlighting the digestibility of proteins, essential amino-acids balance, and the bioavailability of micronutrients. The sensory and textural characteristics of PBMAs have significantly improving by utilization of recent advancements in processing technologies, including high-moisture extrusion, high-temperature conical shear cell processing, and three-dimensional (3D) food printing as they create fibrous like structures that shows similarities with animal muscle tissue. The potential health benefits of PBMAs include reducing the risks of cardiovascular and other heart related diseases, obesity, and metabolic disorders, while highlighting challenges related to ultra-processing, sodium content, additives, and food safety require further investigation. In addition, PBMAs offer environmental benefits through lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduced land requirements, and decreased water consumption compared with livestock production. Despite substantial progress, challenges related to consumer acceptance, product quality, cost, and regulatory frameworks persist. Future research should focus on enhancing nutritional value, sensory attributes, sustainability, and processing efficiency to support the broader adoption of PBMAs within sustainable food systems.