Meat alternatives: A proofed commodity?

Analysis of the Nutritional Composition of Ready-to-Use Meat Alternatives in Belgium

BACKGROUND

The interest in meat alternatives has increased over the years as people embrace more varied food choices because of different reasons. This study aims to analyse the nutritional composition of ready-to-use meat alternatives and compare them with meat (products).

METHODS

Nutritional composition values were collected in 2022 of all ready-to-use meat alternatives in Belgian supermarkets, as well as their animal-based counterparts. A one-sample t-test was performed to test the nutritional composition of ready-to-use meat alternatives against norm values, while an independent samples t-test was used to make the comparison with meat.

RESULTS

Minced meat and pieces/strips/cubes scored favourably on all norm values. Cheeseburgers/schnitzels, nut/seed burgers and sausages contained more than 10 g/100 g total fat. The saturated fat and salt content was lower than the norm value in each category. Legume burgers/falafel contained less than 10 g/100 g protein. Vegetarian/vegan minced meat and bacon contained fewer calories, total and saturated fat, and more fibre compared to their animal-based counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS

Minced meat and pieces/strips/cubes came out as the most favourable categories regarding nutritional composition norm values. Vegetarian/vegan steak came out the least favourable compared to steak, while vegetarian/vegan minced meat and vegetarian/vegan bacon came out the most favourable compared to their animal-based counterparts.

Barriers associated with pulse and plant-based meat alternative consumption across sociodemographic groups: a Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour model approach

Introduction

To enhance environmental sustainability and food security, there should be a change in dietary protein consumption. It is suggested that meat consumption should be reduced and that the currently low consumption of pulses and other plant-based proteins should increase. We aimed to examine (1) how sociodemographic factors and perceived barriers are associated with self-reported current and perceived future pulse and other plant-based meat alternative (PBMA) consumption and (2) how sociodemographic factors relate to perceived barriers.

Methods

Participants were 18-75 year-old Finnish adults (n = 1,000). Multivariable logistic regression was used as the main analysis technique. The results were interpreted by employing the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) model.

Results

Pulses were consumed more often than PBMAs and lower education level and financial strain were associated with more infrequent pulse and PBMA use. The most common perceived barriers for pulse consumption were unfamiliarity, expensive price, and unpleasant taste, which can be interpreted to represent the capability, opportunity and motivation components of the COM-B model, respectively. Women, the young, and financially strained perceived more barriers limiting their pulse consumption than others.

Discussion

To increase plant-based food consumption, it is important that tasty, easy to use and affordable plant-based foods are available for all. Additionally, we suggest that food services should be encouraged to increase the use of pulses in their dishes and that capabilities, opportunities and motivations are taken into account in intervention measures advancing plant protein consumption.

The Effect of Long-Term Passage on Porcine SMCs' Function and the Improvement of TGF-β1 on Porcine SMCs' Secretory Function in Late Passage

Cultured meat is one of the meat substitutes produced through tissue engineering and other technologies. Large-scale cell culture is the key for cultured meat products to enter the market. Therefore, this study is aimed to explore the effect of long-term passage in vitro on smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and the effect of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) on SMCs in the late passage. Multiple passages lead to the decline of the proliferation rate of SMCs in the proliferation stage and the differentiation ability in the differentiation stage. Transcriptome results showed that the ECM pathway and aging-related signaling pathways were significantly up-regulated in the late passage period. TGF-β1 did not promote SMCs of late passage proliferation at the proliferation stage but promoted the gene and protein expression of collagen as the main protein of the extracellular matrix proteins at the differentiation stage. In addition, proteomic analysis revealed that TGF-β1 promoted the expression of cell adhesion molecules which activate the Hippo signaling pathway and the HIF-1 signaling pathway and further promoted the production of collagen-containing extracellular matrix proteins. This could provide ideas for large-scale production of cultured meat products using SMCs.