The impact of consumer in-home cooking methods on the physicochemical, sensory, and nutritional attributes of plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) and meat: a review.

Abstract

The global demand for Plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) is rising due to increasing vegetarianism, health and environmental concerns, and animal-welfare issues. However, PBMAs encounter several challenges that limit widespread acceptance, including inadequate physico-chemical, sensory, and nutritional attributes, and concerns about over-processing and potential food-safety risks. To address these challenges, initiatives such as using high-quality raw materials, blending various plant protein sources, and employing innovative processing techniques are underway. Consumer acceptance of PBMAs also depends on the type of in-home cooking method used to prepare these foods, and the goal in many cases is for the quality attributes after cooking to resemble that of meat. The objective of this review is to compare the effects of in-home cooking methods on the quality of meat products to better understand how PBMAs will perform relative to their animal-based counterparts. Here, research articles that evaluate the impact of different cooking methods (e.g., baking and pan-frying) on the quality of meat and PBMAs were systematically summarized and compared to demonstrate trends in changes related to the physicochemical, sensory, and nutritional attributes of these products. The results revealed that the type of cooking method significantly influenced consumers' acceptance of meat and PBMAs. Changes in physical properties such as cooking loss and water holding capacity (WHC) can affect texture and were dependent on cooking temperatures. However, these changes were not independent of the protein source (PBMAs) or muscle type (meat). For example, cooking at 70 °C decreased the amount of sulfhydryl content in PBMAs compared to pork and beef burgers (20 µmol/g vs. 65 µmol/g protein, respectively). Conversely, when cooking temperatures (> 120 °C) were used, maillard reaction resulted in favourable sensory (appearance and flavour) attributes in both types of products, however, in the presence of sugars and the amino acid asparagine, concerns about the presence of chemical hazards such as acrylamide increased. Microwave cooking also increased WHC and oil absorption properties of plant proteins which improved the mouthfeel of PMBAs. In conclusion, there is a need to optimize in-home cooking techniques to enhance desirable textures and flavours in PBMAs which will improve consumer acceptability of these products.

Graphical abstract: