Comparative analysis of sensory, textural, microstructural, amino acids and protein digestibility properties of animal and alternative meat products in the Asian market

Comparative analysis of sensory, textural, microstructural, amino acids and protein digestibility properties of animal and alternative meat products in the Asian market

International Journal of Food Science & Technology

10.1111/ijfs.17341

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.17341

Grace Cui Fang Ng, Michelle Jie Ying Choy, Vicki Wei Kee Tan, Alicia Hui Peng Theng, Felicia Siew Kay Ng, Dayna Shu Min Ong, Kian Siang Ong, Pei Ying Lim, Mufeeda Madathummal, Pik Han Chong, Jie Hong Chiang

alternative proteins, future food

08 July 2024

Ng, G. C. F., Choy, M. J. Y., Tan, V. W. K., Theng, A. H. P., Ng, F. S. K., Ong, D. S. M., Ong, K. S., Lim, P. Y., Madathummal, M., Chong, P. H., & Chiang, J. H. (2024). Comparative analysis of sensory, textural, microstructural, amino acids and protein digestibility properties of animal and alternative meat products in the Asian market. International Journal of Food Science & Technology. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.17341

For alternative meat products to gain more traction, it is crucial to determine the differences in sensory and nutritional properties between animal and alternative meat food products currently available in the market. The present work compared 27 food products from poultry, pork, and seafood (i.e. three main categories with nine sub‐groups consisting of one animal‐based and two alternative meat products). Results from both the sensory evaluation and instrumental texture analysis indicate that there were distinct differences between the animal meat and their alternative meat counterparts. The alternative meat products tested in this study were divided into five clusters using agglomerative hierarchical clustering, with various clusters associated with different sensory attributes. Differences in the denseness of structure, ingredient interactions, and moisture content contributed to the varied textural properties. The lysine and methionine content in at least one of the alternative meat products was lower than that of their animal meat counterpart for all meat and seafood categories, except for prawn. Alternative meat products containing higher levels of carbohydrates, fibres, and fats resulted in poorer protein digestibility. These findings provide information on the sensorial (both taste and texture) and nutritional gaps that need to be overcome when developing next‐generation alternative meat products.

Publisher Copyright

This research / project is supported by the A*STAR Biomedical Research Council - Singapore Food Story - SFS-2 IAFPP Future Foods: Alternative Proteins
Grant Reference no. : H20H8a002

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Ng, G. C. F., Choy, M. J. Y., Tan, V. W. K., Theng, A. H. P., Ng, F. S. K., Ong, D. S. M., Ong, K. S., Lim, P. Y., Madathummal, M., Chong, P. H., & Chiang, J. H. (2024). Comparative analysis of sensory, textural, microstructural, amino acids and protein digestibility properties of animal and alternative meat products in the Asian market. International Journal of Food Science & Technology. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.17341, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.17341. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.

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