Today there are many products analogous to meat that seek to be considered as substitutes. However, animal-derived proteins are of high biological value and highly bioavailable compared to plant-derived proteins. Likewise, these meat analogs, in addition to having a worse nutritional composition due to their ingredients, are more expensive and their color, smell, taste and texture are not comparable to real meat.
Currently there is a new trend of alternatives to animal proteins. These are products based on plant-based proteins, especially in the form of hamburgers and other typically meat formats. There are consumers who may tend to believe that these products, being plant-based and wrapped in aggressive marketing, may be healthier than meat, when in fact this is not the case.
We are talking about protein…
There are various sources of protein, animal and vegetable protein. Proteins of animal origin, such as beef, pork, poultry, sheep, goat or rabbit, contain all the essential amino acids (what forms proteins) that our body needs, while proteins of vegetable origin, such as peas, legumes, soybeans, wheat, etc., do not provide them in their entirety. Thus, proteins of animal origin are considered to be of high biological value[1] as contain all essential amino acids that we need to ingest through the diet.
Specifically, the proteins in the so-called vegetable “burgers” usually come from soy, wheat, peas or rice. These plant protein sources are deficient in some essential amino acids of high biological value such as histidine and lysine[2].
In addition, animal proteins are highly bioavailablewhich means that we can assimilate these nutrients and meet the needs of the body, something that does not happen with vegetable proteins, since the bioavailability is lower, which means that, although the amino acids are present, the body cannot assimilate them correctly.
A study from the University of Ohio, USA, has recently analyzed the protein and amino acid content between a chicken breast and a hydrolyzed analogue of meat based on vegetable protein. This study demonstrates a higher amount of essential and non-essential amino acids in chicken, compared to the analog. In addition, the transport of peptides containing essential amino acids was more efficient in chicken meat. In addition, it concludes that not all analogous products on the market offer the same texture and nutritional composition than meat and therefore cannot be interchangeable[3].
Also, it has already happened that some of the better-known meat-like products have been sued to present misinformation regarding its content and quality of its proteins[4].
And let’s not forget that, in addition to proteins of high biological value, meat provides vitamins such as B vitamins, especially the Vitamin B12 that only found in animal productsand minerals such as iron and zincamong others, with high bioavailability[5].
What other ingredients can we find in vegetable products?
Fats from vegetable analogs tend to come from oils such as rapeseed, coconut or sunflower fundamentallytwo.
In addition, these types of products are usually highly processed products with a long list of ingredients due to their desire to achieve the texture, appearance and flavor of real meat and they tend to have a high salt contenttwo.
What is cheaper?
After a study carried out by the OCU in 14 of these wrongly called refrigerated and frozen vegetable “hamburgers”, it was concluded that these vegetable products are expensive productswith a top cost to most real beef burgers on the markettwo.
And what about the taste?
According to the OCU study, these vegetable products evaluated they did not convince consumers due to their color, smell, taste and texture compared to beef burgerstwo.
Therefore, this type of meat analogues cannot be considered as substitutes as they do not contain all the nutrients that meat provides plus, they do not provide the sensory experience of meat despite incorporating up to twenty ingredients into its formulations to try to emulate it.
[1] Collaborative Group of the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC): Aranceta Bartrina J, Arija Val V, Maíz Aldalur E, Martínez de Victoria Muñoz E, Ortega Anta RM, Pérez-Rodrigo C, Quiles Izquierdo J, Rodríguez Martín A, Román Viñas B, Salvador i Castell G, Tur Marí JA, Varela Moreiras G, Serra Majem L. Food guides for the Spanish population (SENC, December 2016); the new pyramid of healthy eating. Nutr Hosp 2016;33(Suppl. 8):1-48. Available in: http://www.nutricioncomunitaria.org/es/noticia/guias-alimentarias-senc-2016
[2] Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU). Vegetable burger study: the quality of its proteins is not comparable to that of meat. May 26 2022. Available at: https://www.ocu.org/organizacion/prensa/notas-de-prensa/2022/hamburguesasvegetales260522
[3] Chen D, Rocha-Mendoza D, Shan S, Smith Z, García-Cano I, Prost J, Jimenez-Flores R, Campanella O. Characterization and Cellular Uptake of Peptides Derived from In Vitro Digestion of Meat Analogues Produced by a Sustainable Extrusion Process . J Agric Food Chem. 2022;70(26):8124-8133.
[4] Corrado Rizzi. Beyond Meat’s Protein Content, Quality Claims Are Bogus, Class Action Alleges. Newly Filed / Newly Settled. Published on June 1, 2022. Available at: https://www.classaction.org/blog/beyond-meats-protein-content-quality-claims-are-bogus-class-action-alleges
[5] Collaborative Group of the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC): Aranceta Bartrina J, Arija Val V, Maíz Aldalur E, Martínez de Victoria Muñoz E, Ortega Anta RM, Pérez-Rodrigo C, Quiles Izquierdo J, Rodríguez Martín A, Román Viñas B, Salvador i Castell G, Tur Marí JA, Varela Moreiras G, Serra Majem L. Food guides for the Spanish population (SENC, December 2016); the new pyramid of healthy eating. Nutr Hosp 2016;33(Suppl. 8):1-48. Available in: http://www.nutricioncomunitaria.org/es/noticia/guias-alimentarias-senc-2016