Plant-based meat substitutes - products with future potential (2024)

Protein-rich plant products made from soy and wheat have the longest tradition as a meat alternative. The focus here is on regional protein crops.

Soy

Soy is criticized because soy cultivation in North and South America is associated with large-scale rainforest clearing and ecologically problematic monocultures. In fact, however, most soy for the food industry in Germany comes from European cultivation. Because soy has ingredients that have hormone-like effects, children and especially infants should consume only small amounts. Nevertheless, the high protein content of around 37% makes the soybean attractive as a meat substitute, especially since it contains all essential amino acids.

Tofu made from soy is the classic meat substitute and has a long tradition, especially in Asia. For its production, the soy protein is precipitated with the help of a coagulant. The thickened soy liquid is then pressed out until the desired consistency is achieved. Tofu is largely neutral in taste, but bears no resemblance to meat in texture or consistency. It is often used like ground meat.

Yuba is a Japanese specialty. For its production, soy milk is heated, the resulting skin is peeled off, dried and then folded or rolled. To eat, yuba is moistened and then tastes creamy and nutty; or the leaves are used to wrap other foods in and are then fried or steamed. Yuba sticks are also eaten deep-fried.

Wheat

Wheat is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative source of protein: the grain is grown in Germany, unlike soy is harmless as far as hormonal effects are concerned, and results in products whose texture is quite close to that of meat.

For almost 60 years, the most important wheat-based meat alternative has been seitan, which is made from wheat protein (gluten). For this, a dough is first created from flour and water, from which the starch is then kneaded out. The elastic result is then cooked or steam-cooked and can be used in a variety of ways because of its meat-like consistency. Seitan contains only small amounts of the essential amino acid lysine.

Lupine

The sweet lupin has a long tradition as a food, but has a bitter taste. The start-up Prolupin GmbH, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV in Freising, Germany, has developed processing techniques that can be used to produce lupine protein with a neutral sensory profile. For this purpose, the lupine seeds are hulled and pressed into flakes. These are soaked and deoiled using supercritical CO2 to wash out fats and undesirable flavors. What remains is the largely tasteless protein. This innovation won the German Future Prize in 2014.

Prolupin offers alternatives to dairy products through its own brand portfolio. In the future, Prolupin would like to offer this pure lupin protein to other food manufacturers. However, meat substitutes such as sausages and schnitzel made from lupin protein are already available on the market, for example from the German company Purvegan.

Since the lupine is a native plant and also binds nitrogen to its roots via nodule bacteria, thus naturally fertilizing the soil, it has an excellent eco-balance. In addition, at 36% to 48%, it is similar in protein content to the soybean, with significantly fewer carbohydrates and fats.

Pea

Peas (as well as beans and chickpeas) are rich in protein and valuable for a balanced diet. More recently, pea protein in particular has been increasingly used as a meat substitute, especially for sausage and schnitzel. The pioneer is the U.S. company Beyond Meat. In Germany, the start-up Amidori is also making a name for itself, using a process developed jointly with the Fraunhofer IVV to produce pea protein. Basically, the peas are detached from the pod and ground, then starch and fiber are removed. Finally, a special cooking process gives the protein its quite meat-like fibrous structure. Similar to lupines, peas have the advantage of growing well in Germany and fertilizing the soil naturally.

Further plants

Sunflowers are known for their oil, but the protein, which contains all the essential amino acids, is also increasingly being discovered as a raw material. The press cake of the seeds is marketed as mince and, ground even finer, is used in protein shakes and bars. Turnip, celeriac and eggplant are not prepared as protein, but directly in thick slices like cutlets. What goes back to times of hardship is now coming back into fashion with a vegetarian motivation. The same applies to tsa tsai, the storage roots of an Asian type of cabbage. Pickled in lactic acid, they attain a meat-like, firm-to-the-bite consistency. Jackfruit from southern India can also be used as a meat substitute due to its chicken-like consistency. However, it has only a very low energy and protein content and tastes slightly sour.

Algae

Macroalgae are established as a food and are, for example, frequently used in the preparation of sushi or salads. U.S. researchers have now cultivated a red alga of the genus Palmaria, which tastes like meat and is suitable as a ham substitute. The University of Göttingen is also working on algae as a meat substitute, here on the microalgae spirulina. In addition, microalgae such as spirulina and chlorella have so far been used mainly in dietary supplements. Since algae are rich in nutrients and their cultivation does not involve land-use conflicts, they are considered a promising component in the food mix for a growing world population.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms with a large fruiting body have always been roasted and prepared similar to meat, especially since their firm consistency already shows a certain similarity. The firm, fleshy mushrooms include the Brätling, the Krause Glucke, the Leberreischling, the Parasol, the Riesenbovist, the Schwefelporing, the Shiitake and the Steinpilz.