Rise in analogues: A descriptive review on the evolution of meat analogues in India

The emergence of meat analogues signifies a fundamental shift in dietary trends, fueled by heightened consumer interest in sustainable and health-oriented alternatives to conventional meat. This review mainly focuses on the rise of meat analogues discussing their various types, health benefits, processing techniques, ingredients used, economic needs, consumer acceptance and their traditional and commercial availability on the Indian market. A descriptive review on the parameters related to the visualization of these meat analogues was performed, using article publications from 2020 to 2025, mainly focusing on studies that present new knowledge and fulfill the economic needs as well as consumer preferences alongside a market survey on the various commercial meat analogues products available on the Indian market. Meat analogues particularly plant-based meat analogues was observed to be the most preferred meat alternative as they offer health benefits, such as lower saturated fat and high dietary fiber, while also reducing the environmental impact of animal farming but mainly due to people mostly focusing on consuming plant-based or vegetarian diet however, lack a sense of trust or habits on trying new food like insects-based, lab grown or microorganisms-based meat analogues due to cultural or spiritual belief and food necrophobia. The review also highlights a need for more future research especially based on effectively mimicking the meat structure, the relation of these meat analogues with the human gut alongside its allergenicity so as to promote a complete understanding of the importance of these analogues on overall health and well-being.