Comparative analysis of sensory, textural, microstructural, amino acids and protein digestibility properties of animal and alternative meat products in the Asian market

Abstract

SummaryFor alternative meat products to gain more traction, it is crucial to determine the differences in sensory and nutritional properties between animal and alternative meat food products currently available in the market. The present work compared 27 food products from poultry, pork, and seafood (i.e. three main categories with nine sub‐groups consisting of one animal‐based and two alternative meat products). Results from both the sensory evaluation and instrumental texture analysis indicate that there were distinct differences between the animal meat and their alternative meat counterparts. The alternative meat products tested in this study were divided into five clusters using agglomerative hierarchical clustering, with various clusters associated with different sensory attributes. Differences in the denseness of structure, ingredient interactions, and moisture content contributed to the varied textural properties. The lysine and methionine content in at least one of the alternative meat products was lower than that of their animal meat counterpart for all meat and seafood categories, except for prawn. Alternative meat products containing higher levels of carbohydrates, fibres, and fats resulted in poorer protein digestibility. These findings provide information on the sensorial (both taste and texture) and nutritional gaps that need to be overcome when developing next‐generation alternative meat products.