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Meat and Its Replacers: Green Processing and Quality Innovation
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Meat and Its Replacers: Green Processing and Quality Innovation

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Meat".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 March 2026 | Viewed by 1444

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Sandra Rodrigues

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CIMO, LA SusTEC, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Braganca, Portugal
Interests: physics and chemistry of meat and meat products; sensory analysis of food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the opening of a Special Issue, titled “Meat and Its Replacers: Green Processing and Quality Innovation”, focused on advancing sustainable and innovative approaches in meat science and alternative proteins.

As global food systems evolve toward health-conscious and environmentally responsible solutions, this issue will showcase cutting-edge research on green processing technologies, novel formulations, and quality enhancement strategies for both conventional meat and its replacers. Topics of interest include energy-efficient processing, sustainability metrics, biotechnological innovations, sensory and nutritional improvements, and consumer acceptance.

The issue welcomes original research articles, reviews, and case studies that contribute to the development of eco-friendly, high-quality protein products. With rising concerns over climate change, animal welfare, and food security, this collection aims to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and practical implementation in the food industry. All submissions will undergo rigorous peer review to ensure relevance and excellence. Researchers, technologists, and industry professionals are invited to submit their latest findings and help shape the future of protein innovation. Be part of the global conversation redefining how we produce and consume meat.

Dr. Sandra Rodrigues
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • meat alternatives
  • green processing technologies
  • sustainable food systems
  • plant-based proteins
  • food innovation
  • nutritional quality
  • sensory evaluation
  • biotechnology in food
  • consumer acceptance
  • environmental impact

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2293 KB  
Article
Development of a Cost-Effective, Heme-Tolerant Bovine Muscle Cell for Cultivated Meat Production
by Yun Ok Oh, Chae Won Yu, Min Jeong Cha, Eun Ji Lee, Pil Kim and Suhwan Chang
Foods 2025, 14(24), 4348; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14244348 - 17 Dec 2025
Viewed by 345
Abstract
One of the critical requirements for the production of artificial meat is to mimic the flavor of the original meat. Therefore, incorporation of heme has been proposed, but it is toxic when added at high concentrations in cell culture systems. Additionally, obtaining heme [...] Read more.
One of the critical requirements for the production of artificial meat is to mimic the flavor of the original meat. Therefore, incorporation of heme has been proposed, but it is toxic when added at high concentrations in cell culture systems. Additionally, obtaining heme can be costly depending on the source. In this study, we aimed to support the growth of normal bovine muscle cells (BRMC-F2401, BRMCs) by introducing a bacterial extract obtained from a safe, high-heme-containing Corynebacterium species. The BRMCs exhibited heme toxicity when the bacterial heme level was >20 μM; however, they were adapted to stably proliferate with a 3 on–3 off culture scheme. RNA sequencing of the heme-adapted BRMCs showed gene expression changes, including upregulation of detoxification genes, CYP1A1, CYP26B1, and SERPINB2. The knockdown of these three genes increased heme sensitivity and reversed heme tolerance of the heme-adapted BRMCs. Additionally, ROS levels increased upon heme treatment, suggesting that ROS is an important factor in heme adaptation processes. Collectively, our study presents an affordable strategy to incorporate heme in cultured meat production and the mechanism underlying this process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat and Its Replacers: Green Processing and Quality Innovation)
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22 pages, 966 KB  
Article
Education and Meat Consumption and Reduction: The Mediating Role of Climate Literacy
by Andrej Kirbiš and Stefani Branilović
Foods 2025, 14(19), 3333; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14193333 - 25 Sep 2025
Viewed by 841
Abstract
Meat consumption, a key factor in both environmental sustainability and public health, is strongly influenced by educational characteristics, with higher levels of education often associated with more sustainable dietary patterns. However, research examining the mechanisms through which education influences meat-related behaviours remains limited. [...] Read more.
Meat consumption, a key factor in both environmental sustainability and public health, is strongly influenced by educational characteristics, with higher levels of education often associated with more sustainable dietary patterns. However, research examining the mechanisms through which education influences meat-related behaviours remains limited. This study investigates the mediating role of climate literacy in the relationship between educational characteristics and meat consumption patterns among adults and school-enrolled youth in Slovenia. We used survey data from a sample of 2990 individuals (aged 14–88) to examine how educational stage, track, and level impact meat consumption and reduction. Our focus was on climate literacy as a multidimensional construct, comprising climate knowledge, attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviour. The findings indicate that young people in the tertiary educational track tend to eat less meat, have already reduced their meat consumption in the past, and intend to further reduce it in the future, compared to secondary track students, with climate attitudes playing a mediating role in all three cases. For adults, a tertiary educational level, relative to a secondary level, was linked to lower meat consumption, an association largely explained by more positive climate attitudes. By contrast, adults with only primary education consume meat more often and are less inclined to cut back in the future. Among secondary school students, both vocational and general school groups reported greater past and intended meat reductions than their peers in professional schools. The findings underscore the importance of integrating climate literacy, especially fostering pro-climate attitudes, into educational programmes to promote sustainable dietary choices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Meat and Its Replacers: Green Processing and Quality Innovation)
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