Plant-based meats may contain less useful protein

Proteins in plant-based meat substitutes are not absorbed by the body as well as meat proteins are, according to researchers from Ohio State University (OSU). The food scientists had been curious about the level of protein absorption by the human body because while the ingredients used for meat substitutes are high in protein, it was previously unknown how much of this makes its way into human cells.

Plant-based meat analogs can be used to simulate animal protein but are not chemically or nutritionally identical to animal meat and the researchers found they don’t break down as efficiently into peptides as meat does. Peptides are chemical chains that the human body makes use of for basic bodily functions, including making its own proteins.

The researchers noted that meat analogs have similar textures to animal proteins and can taste similar — this is because plant proteins are dried and powdered and then reconstituted before being pushed through an extrusion process to replicate the look of meat.

To analyse meat analogs for their protein values, the OSU researchers created their own meat substitute to compare it against chicken. This model meat alternative was made of soy and wheat gluten and it underwent the aforementioned extrusion process.

When cut open, the analog indeed had long fibrous pieces, resembling the chicken’s texture. However, when the meat substitute and chicken meat were ground up and broken down using an enzyme that humans use to digest food, the analysis showed the peptides from the digestion of the meat substitute were less water-soluble and human cells did not absorb them as well as actual meat.

The researchers said that reaching this understanding could mean that plant-based meats in the future can address the problem of the proteins not being absorbed as efficiently. The development or identification of ways to increase the uptake of the peptides in meat substitutes is the next step for scientists now.

The paper was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

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