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Sustainability
Volume 17
Issue 2
10.3390/su17020382
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Review

Sustainability of Key Proteins in Plant-Based Meat Analogs Production: A Worldwide Perspective

by
Bernardo Romão
1,*,
Maximiliano Sommo
2,
Renata Puppin Zandonadi
1,
Maria Eduarda Machado de Holanda
3,
Vinicius Ruela Pereira Borges
3,
Ariana Saraiva
4 and
António Raposo
5,*
1
Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nutrition, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
2
Department of Nutrition, University Center IESB, Brasília 70830-404, Brazil
3
Department of Computer Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
4
Research in Veterinary Medicine (I-MVET), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lisbon University Centre, Lusófona University, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal
5
CBIOS (Research Center for Biosciences and Health Technologies), Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020382
Submission received: 6 December 2024 / Revised: 30 December 2024 / Accepted: 6 January 2025 / Published: 7 January 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Sustainable Food)
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Abstract

The market for plant-based analogs for meat is growing exponentially. In addition to motivations related to the search for health benefits, the consumption of such products is justified by the sustainability of their production since the use of non-renewable resources and the emission of polluting gases is lower than their animal-origin equivalents. However, little information regarding the global panorama of the sustainability of plant-based meat analogues is available, mainly due to the diffuse distribution of food matrices used across the planet. In this sense, this narrative review aimed to describe the state of the art regarding the use of resources and sustainability of the inputs used as protein sources in the manufacture of plant-based meat analogues. From the review carried out, it was possible to observe that the biggest problem in producing these plant-based alternatives lies in using inputs that are not native to the countries where the products are marketed, especially in the case of South American countries. Ingredients widely used in the production of these analogues find better cultivation conditions in the northern hemisphere, as in the case of lentils, peas and chickpeas; thus, South American markets depend on imports, reducing the sustainability of the products.
Keywords: carbon dioxide equivalent emissions; water usage; meat analogues; plant-based; sustainability carbon dioxide equivalent emissions; water usage; meat analogues; plant-based; sustainability

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MDPI and ACS Style

Romão, B.; Sommo, M.; Zandonadi, R.P.; de Holanda, M.E.M.; Borges, V.R.P.; Saraiva, A.; Raposo, A. Sustainability of Key Proteins in Plant-Based Meat Analogs Production: A Worldwide Perspective. Sustainability 2025, 17, 382. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020382

AMA Style

Romão B, Sommo M, Zandonadi RP, de Holanda MEM, Borges VRP, Saraiva A, Raposo A. Sustainability of Key Proteins in Plant-Based Meat Analogs Production: A Worldwide Perspective. Sustainability. 2025; 17(2):382. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020382

Chicago/Turabian Style

Romão, Bernardo, Maximiliano Sommo, Renata Puppin Zandonadi, Maria Eduarda Machado de Holanda, Vinicius Ruela Pereira Borges, Ariana Saraiva, and António Raposo. 2025. "Sustainability of Key Proteins in Plant-Based Meat Analogs Production: A Worldwide Perspective" Sustainability 17, no. 2: 382. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020382

APA Style

Romão, B., Sommo, M., Zandonadi, R. P., de Holanda, M. E. M., Borges, V. R. P., Saraiva, A., & Raposo, A. (2025). Sustainability of Key Proteins in Plant-Based Meat Analogs Production: A Worldwide Perspective. Sustainability, 17(2), 382. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020382

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