Production of meat analogs and consumer preferences

Due to changes in consumer behavior about meat consumption brought on by health, ethical, and sustainability concerns, plant-based meat alternatives are becoming more and more well-liked. However, the focus in the plant-based meat process is developing products that can mimic traditional meat with all its physical sensations (appearance, texture, taste, smell, etc.), as well as producing clean-labeled, nutritious, and sustainable protein alternatives. Extrusion is one of the cheap and short-time methods frequently used in the production of meat analogs to imitate the structural and textural propertiesTextural properties of the meat. The extrusion process can be classified into two groups regarding moisture content: low moisture extrusion (20-35%) and high moisture extrusion (50-70%). The high moisture extrusion of plant proteins is well suited to producing meat analogs due to the targeted fiber structure that can be provided by the cooling zone in this extrusion. High temperature and high-pressure applications provide for the restructuring of proteins, gelatinization of starch, and elimination of antinutritional compounds during the process. A typical plant-based meat analog contains protein, oil or fat, carbohydrate sources, flavoring, coloring, and binding agents. All of these elements may contribute to the meat analogs resembling animal-based meat in terms of nutritional, structural, and sensory properties. For instance, protein sources such as soy, gluten and pea proteinProteins are used for their nutritional, texturizing and other functional properties, such as water and oil binding properties, emulsification, foam stabilization and gel formation during processing. Fats are another important component in increasing the juiciness, tenderness, and overall palatability of emulsion-type meat analogs. Despite being the most nutritious of the meat analogs, they may have antinutritional compounds (phytic acid, lectin, tannin, saponin, etc.) in raw materials, and the effects of processes on them are also discussed in this study. In summary, the first part of this study is given to evaluate the production of meat analogs with a high moisture extrusion process. This is followed by a discussion of key ingredients of plant-based meat analogs and their functionalities in formulation. In another perspective, this study also examines the factors that affect the consumer tendency to consume plant-based meat. This study could be helpful to evaluate the existing technologies and ingredients during the production of meat analogs and the design of novel plant-based meat analogs in future studies.