Hybrid Plant-Meat Products -Addressing the Sustainability Debate Around Processed Meat Consumption: A Review

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the retail availability of plant-based meat analogues amongst consumers for a wide variety of reasons, however, such products currently offered in the marketplace differ significantly from the meat products they frequently seek to imitate in terms of technological challenge, sensory attributes and nutritional profile. For consumers seeking to increase the proportion of plant-based protein in their diet without compromising the sensory experience, hybrid plant-meat (HPM) products offer a promising alternative to purely plant-based foods. This review evaluates the current scientific literature and marketing information pertaining to HPM product formulation, production and marketing success.It also discusses key challenges and future perspectives in the development of HPM products. HPM products are presented in several formats, including those containing chopped plant-based ingredients, those manufactured with plant protein extracts in powdered formats (e.g., flours, concentrates, and isolates), or those formed with texturized plant proteins. The future exploration of new technological approaches in the manufacture of HPM products is critical, especially in terms of manipulating plant proteins to more resemble meat fibres. However, HPM products continue to face challenges, including technological issues (e.g., softer texture), safety concerns (e.g., microbial contamination), consumer acceptance, and regulatory hurdles. Therefore, the processing optimisation of the techno-functional properties of incorporated plant proteins, as well as the inclusion of non-protein ingredients, will play an important role in enhancing consumer acceptance of HPM products. Overall, HPM products offer a more practical and realistic approach to achieving an environmentally sustainable balanced human diet.