A review on development of plant‐based meat analogues as future sustainable food

Abstract

SummaryConsumers worldwide want to improve their diets by consuming nutritional and eco‐friendly products in their food. The demand for plant‐based meat analogues (PBMA) has increased due to the adverse effects on animals, people, and the environment. ‘Meat analogue’ means to use a substitute for meat as the primary element. The rising desire for ‘good for you’ and ‘good for the planet’ is driving the demand for plant‐based meat alternatives. This manuscript describes the methods and orientation used to create meat analogues that mimic meat. The term ‘bottom‐up approach’ describes putting together a structure from the ground up. By systematically structuring proteins through the assembly of individual structural pieces, bottom‐up processes can approach the design of the meat. The top‐down method is more efficient and scalable, but it can only generate the required shape at massive scales. Therefore, this review discussed various production methods and their processing consequences on PBMAs proposed for creating sustainable foods to enhance their structural and techno‐functionality.