A review on meat analogue: Is this time to see the algal proteins as a sustainable substitute for the meat proteins?

Abstract

Meat has been produced in huge quantity every year and the demand for the same is rising exponentially. Developed countries in the west consume meat as a primary source of protein and nutrients. However, East and Asian countries also prefer eating meat as a part of their meal but on the side. Meat production has been increased considerably in the last 5 decades as the demand rose. Unfortunately, due to the mass production of meat, various problems have also been increased such as global warming, freshwater shortage, large land usage, deforestation, extinction of species, new zoonotic diseases, waste production etc. It is also expected that the demand for meat will increase in the coming decade. Some people are aware of the harmful effects however, the large population is still unaware of the truth. Meat analogues are one of the solutions to tackle this problem by providing the population with meat like alternative to eat. Meat analogues are considerably more sustainable than the meat itself. These are produced using various ingredients from different sources. Proteins of meat analogue are obtained from different plants such as soybean and legumes. Algal proteins are a rich source of nutrients and amino acids. It has all the physicochemical properties that are required to be utilized in a food component. In this paper, an idea has been proposed in which algal proteins can be utilized as a source of protein in preparation of meat analogues. However, some challenges need to be overcome before utilizing it, such as pigment color, thermal stability and off flavor. Some technologies also have been discussed in the paper that may be used to overcome these challenges. Moreover, the production of algal proteins is a costly affair and hence not gaining much interest as a reliable source of protein to bridge the protein gap in the diet of people.