Sustaining Protein Nutrition Through Plant-Based Foods.

Sapna Langyan,Fatima Nazish Khan,Pranjal Yadava,Renu Singh,Zahoor A Dar,Ashok Kumar

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.772573

Abstract

Proteins are essential components of the human diet. Dietary proteins could be derived from animals and plants. Animal protein, although higher in demand, is generally considered less environmentally sustainable. Therefore, a gradual transition from animal- to plant-based protein food may be desirable to maintain environmental stability, ethical reasons, food affordability, greater food safety, fulfilling higher consumer demand, and combating of protein-energy malnutrition. Due to these reasons, plant-based proteins are steadily gaining popularity, and this upward trend is expected to continue for the next few decades. Plant proteins are a good source of many essential amino acids, vital macronutrients, and are sufficient to achieve complete protein nutrition. The main goal of this review is to provide an overview of plant-based protein that helps sustain a better life for humans and the nutritional quality of plant proteins. Therefore, the present review comprehensively explores the nutritional quality of the plant proteins, their cost-effective extraction and processing technologies, impacts on nutrition, different food wastes as an alternative source of plant protein, and their environmental impact. Furthermore, it focuses on the emerging technologies for improving plant proteins' bioavailability, digestibility, and organoleptic properties, and highlights the aforementioned technological challenges for future research work.

Highlights

Since the beginning of life, plants have been utilized for human benefits, providing food, therapeutics, wood, fibers, and many others
To provide an overview of plant-based protein that helps sustain a better life for humans and the nutritional quality of plant proteins, this review mainly focuses on the current state of using plants to produce proteins for human health
It was noticed that plant protein intake has led to inverse the mortality rate as well as from stroke in both males and females and cardiovascular disease

Summary

Introduction

Since the beginning of life, plants have been utilized for human benefits, providing food, therapeutics, wood, fibers, and many others. Plants were considered the bioproduction system for valuable substances and provide many primary and secondary metabolites having therapeutic effects. Primary metabolites (protein, carbohydrates, fats, and nucleic acid) are the building blocks of life. Proteins are molecules with great complexity and diversity that play an important role in maintaining the structure and function of the living form [2]. It is being used for many applications such as medicine, food, and feed

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Conclusion