Sensory acceptability of new plant protein meat substitutes

Abstract

Consumers have been encouraged to reduce their consumption of meat for health and environmental reasons. A possible way is to substitute meat with plant protein alternatives; however, consumer acceptance of these products is far from settled, which might be due to taste. Therefore, it is important to identify sensory attributes that should be optimized to improve palatability. This paper is based on two consumer tests. In the first experiment, three recipes, each prepared with two or three different plant protein meat substitutes and with meat, were compared by 91 consumers using a liking scale and Check-All-That-Apply characterizations. An optimized variant of one of the meat substitutes was then produced by adding a flavor. During the second experiment, this new variant was prepared by following a single recipe and was tested by 69 consumers against a meat and two other plant protein meat substitutes from the market. Unlike in the first experiment, the consumers evaluated a full portion of each product during four different meals. They performed multiple-intake Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) measurements, alternating with liking scales. The TDS evaluations also alternated texture measurements and flavor measurements over the intakes. Regarding both experiments, the meat was generally preferred; however, one plant protein meat substitute was truly appreciated, even more than the meat. Acceptance of the plant protein products depended on their composition and on the recipe. Sensory interpretations of these liking differences were proposed, and sensory drivers of liking were highlighted, which could lead to better acceptance of the products.