Protein from Plants and Algae: Potential Trends of Replacing Animal Protein for Public Health

Abstract

Meat is considered as a significant source of high-quality protein along with other nutritional benefits and sensory properties. However, meat production and consumption is associated with human health concerns, including increased risk of zoonotic diseases, chronic diseases, and air pollution-related health problems. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the market value of alternative proteins. There is a shift in dietary preferences fromomnivorousto vegetarian or flexitarian diets, and eventuallyto plant-based and algae-based diets. Innovative technologies have been used to produce new products aimed at replacingmeat proteins. These include plant-based options such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, textured soy protein; and alternatives derived from algae such as raw ground pork meat, reduced nitrite turkey meat sausages, and pork meat batter formulations.