Meat Analogs from Different Protein Sources: A Comparison of Their Sustainability and Nutritional Content

Fresán, Ujué; Mejia, Maximino Alfredo; Craig, Winston J; Jaceldo-Siegl, Karen; Sabaté, Joan

doi:10.3390/su11123231

Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Edit a Special Issue

Article Menu

...

Open AccessArticle

Meat Analogs from Different Protein Sources: A Comparison of Their Sustainability and Nutritional Content

Ujué Fresán

^1,*

Maximino Alfredo Mejia

²,

Winston J Craig

^1,2,

Karen Jaceldo-Siegl

and

Joan Sabaté

Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyles, and Disease Prevention, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA

Department of Public Health, Nutrition and Wellness, School of Health Professions, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI 49104, USA

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sustainability 2019, 11(12), 3231; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11123231

Received: 23 May 2019 / Revised: 5 June 2019 / Accepted: 7 June 2019 / Published: 12 June 2019

View Full-Text Download PDF

Browse Figures

Citation Export

Abstract

Meat analogs are processed foods designed to mimic meat products. Their popularity is increasing among people seeking foods that are healthy and sustainable. Animal-sourced protein products differ in both their environmental impact and nutritional composition. The protein sources to produce meat analogs come from different plants. There is a lack of published research data assessing differences in these two aspects of meat analogs according to the plant protein source. This study compared the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of different types of meat analogs according to their main source of protein (wheat, soy, wheat and soy, or nuts), and their nutritional composition. We also compared totally plant-based products with those containing egg. We performed life cycle analyses of 56 meat analogs from ingredient production to the final commercial product. The nutrient profile of the meat analogs was analyzed based on ingredients. Descriptive statistics and differences between means were assessed through t-test and ANOVA. No differences in GHG emissions were observed among products with different major sources of protein. However, egg-containing products produced significantly higher amounts of GHG (p < 0.05). The nutritional composition of all meat analogs was found to be quite similar. Altogether, total plant-based meat analogs should be the choice for the sake of the environment. View Full-Text

Keywords: meat substitutes; greenhouse gas emissions; nutritional value; plant protein; wheat protein; soy protein; vegan

▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Supplementary Material

Supplementary File 1:
PDF-Document (PDF, 183 KiB)

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Fresán, U.; Mejia, M.A.; Craig, W.J.; Jaceldo-Siegl, K.; Sabaté, J. Meat Analogs from Different Protein Sources: A Comparison of Their Sustainability and Nutritional Content. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3231. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11123231

AMA Style

Fresán U, Mejia MA, Craig WJ, Jaceldo-Siegl K, Sabaté J. Meat Analogs from Different Protein Sources: A Comparison of Their Sustainability and Nutritional Content. Sustainability. 2019; 11(12):3231. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11123231

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fresán, Ujué, Maximino Alfredo Mejia, Winston J Craig, Karen Jaceldo-Siegl, and Joan Sabaté. 2019. "Meat Analogs from Different Protein Sources: A Comparison of Their Sustainability and Nutritional Content" Sustainability 11, no. 12: 3231. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11123231

Find Other Styles

Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Abstract views Pdf views Html views

Article Menu

Meat Analogs from Different Protein Sources: A Comparison of Their Sustainability and Nutritional Content

Abstract

Supplementary Material

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Article Access Map by Country/Region

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI