2 minute read
Evaluating the nutritional value of meat analogues
University. Prof. van der Goot is also the scientific leader of the Plant Meat
Matters research program that aims to develop the next generation meat analogues He has (co-) authored 140 peer reviewed papers and holds 6 patents
Professor Atze Jan van der Goot, Sustainable Protein Technology, Wageningen University
Meat alternatives made from pulses are generally more environmentally sustainable than meat, but plant ingredients often are highly processed to maximise protein Is there a better alternative?
Companies making meat analogues often focus on protein isolates and concentrates as they strive for nutritional equivalency with meat However, less processing could improve plant-based products’ eco-credentials – and lower protein content may not be such a bad thing from a nutritional standpoint According to Professor van der Goot, products with meat alternatives should be really more sustainable than meat, and that’s not really obvious when you look at the type of processing currently being used
Van der Goot and his team have developed an energy efficient way of producing large pieces of meatlike structures from plant proteins, such as soy and wheat The process, called shear cell technology, has been used previously to make fibres out of dairy proteins, but he and his team have discovered the mechanisms by which vegetable proteins form structures This allows for the manufacture of large, fully fibrous meat-like pieces weighing up to seven kilograms.
“What’s very important for the plant-based meat alternatives market is that new innovations that mimic meat are not just small pieces or pieces stuck together,” he said.18
However, in the course of this project, Prof van der Goot was prompted to take a closer look at the sustainability of plant-derived ingredients and realised that there might be more eco-friendly approaches
“…I started to question why it was more sustainable. I found there was really room for improvement,” he said. “…What we clearly see is if you start eating beans and peas and legumes directly, you make a big difference. It’s possible to just make a flour from those materials instead of a previously processed isolate or concentrate…We should try to limit that purification as much as possible.”19
Many in the industry would argue that producing protein isolates and concentrates from pulses helps to improve the nutritional value of meat analogues but van der Goot says this is not necessarily the case In fact, he says overconsumption of protein could be considered a net loss in the food chain
“A deviation from the nutritional profile of meat is not necessarily bad. It could even be better,”20 he said, adding that western populations tend to need more dietary fibre – and nearly always consume enough protein, including among vegetarians and vegans. “We have to realise that the products we are making help consumers replace part of their meat consumption,” he said.21
Visit Fi Global Insights to read the full interview with Professor Atze Jan van der Goot bit ly/sustainability-of-meat-alternatives
