Vegan milk and egg alternatives commercialized in Brazil: A study of the nutritional composition and main ingredients
Worldwide, there is an increasing demand for plant-based food due to sustainable, health, ethical, religious, philosophical, and economic reasons. In Brazil, 14% of the population declares themselves vegetarians, and a noticeable increase in the consumption of vegan products is also noted. Substitut...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.964734/full |
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| author | Bernardo Romão Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho Eduardo Yoshio Nakano Vinícius Ruela Pereira Borges Maria Eduarda Machado de Holanda António Raposo Heesup Han Miseldra Gil-Marín Antonio Ariza-Montes Renata Puppin Zandonadi |
| author_facet | Bernardo Romão Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho Eduardo Yoshio Nakano Vinícius Ruela Pereira Borges Maria Eduarda Machado de Holanda António Raposo Heesup Han Miseldra Gil-Marín Antonio Ariza-Montes Renata Puppin Zandonadi |
| author_sort | Bernardo Romão |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Worldwide, there is an increasing demand for plant-based food due to sustainable, health, ethical, religious, philosophical, and economic reasons. In Brazil, 14% of the population declares themselves vegetarians, and a noticeable increase in the consumption of vegan products is also noted. Substitution of animal dairy and egg is challenging from both sensory and nutritional aspects. Yet, there are no data regarding the nutritional value and ingredients of Brazilian commercial dairy and egg substitutes. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the nutritional composition and used ingredients in Brazilian commercial vegan alternatives to dairy and eggs to provide information for Brazilian consumers of these products. A cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out in three steps: (i) sample mapping. (ii) data collection, and (iii) statistical analysis. A total of 152 samples were included. No differences were found between the energy value and total fat of vegan products and their animal counterparts. Vegan products showed higher amounts of carbohydrates and dietary fiber, and only the vegan versions of beverages and cheeses showed less protein than their counterparts. Cashews, rice, coconut, and soy were the most used ingredients in dairy substitutes. Emulsions of oil, starch, and isolated protein were used in vegan egg products. Most vegan beverages presented sugar in their composition. Vegan alternatives of dairy and eggs might be suitable for substituting their animal counterparts, but given that traditional versions of cheeses and milk are sources of protein in omnivorous diets, for equivalent nutritional replacement in vegan products, it is necessary to improve the protein content of their vegan counterparts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:07:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1beff35f3f56482eabc8e0d207a75951 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T14:07:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-1beff35f3f56482eabc8e0d207a759512022-12-22T02:43:53ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-10-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.964734964734Vegan milk and egg alternatives commercialized in Brazil: A study of the nutritional composition and main ingredientsBernardo Romão0Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho1Eduardo Yoshio Nakano2Vinícius Ruela Pereira Borges3Maria Eduarda Machado de Holanda4António Raposo5Heesup Han6Miseldra Gil-Marín7Antonio Ariza-Montes8Renata Puppin Zandonadi9Department of Nutrition, University of Brasília, Brasília, BrazilDepartment of Nutrition, University of Brasília, Brasília, BrazilDepartment of Statistics, University of Brasília, Brasília, BrazilDepartment of Computer Science, University of Brasília, Brasília, BrazilDepartment of Computer Science, University of Brasília, Brasília, BrazilCBIOS (Research Center for Biosciences and Health Technologies), Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisboa, PortugalCollege of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Sejong University, Seoul, South KoreaPublic Policy Observatory, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, ChileSocial Matters Research Group, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Córdoba, SpainDepartment of Nutrition, University of Brasília, Brasília, BrazilWorldwide, there is an increasing demand for plant-based food due to sustainable, health, ethical, religious, philosophical, and economic reasons. In Brazil, 14% of the population declares themselves vegetarians, and a noticeable increase in the consumption of vegan products is also noted. Substitution of animal dairy and egg is challenging from both sensory and nutritional aspects. Yet, there are no data regarding the nutritional value and ingredients of Brazilian commercial dairy and egg substitutes. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the nutritional composition and used ingredients in Brazilian commercial vegan alternatives to dairy and eggs to provide information for Brazilian consumers of these products. A cross-sectional quantitative study was carried out in three steps: (i) sample mapping. (ii) data collection, and (iii) statistical analysis. A total of 152 samples were included. No differences were found between the energy value and total fat of vegan products and their animal counterparts. Vegan products showed higher amounts of carbohydrates and dietary fiber, and only the vegan versions of beverages and cheeses showed less protein than their counterparts. Cashews, rice, coconut, and soy were the most used ingredients in dairy substitutes. Emulsions of oil, starch, and isolated protein were used in vegan egg products. Most vegan beverages presented sugar in their composition. Vegan alternatives of dairy and eggs might be suitable for substituting their animal counterparts, but given that traditional versions of cheeses and milk are sources of protein in omnivorous diets, for equivalent nutritional replacement in vegan products, it is necessary to improve the protein content of their vegan counterparts.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.964734/fullvegan productsdairy alternativesegg substitutesplant-based proteindairy-free cheese |
| spellingShingle | Bernardo Romão Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho Eduardo Yoshio Nakano Vinícius Ruela Pereira Borges Maria Eduarda Machado de Holanda António Raposo Heesup Han Miseldra Gil-Marín Antonio Ariza-Montes Renata Puppin Zandonadi Vegan milk and egg alternatives commercialized in Brazil: A study of the nutritional composition and main ingredients Frontiers in Public Health vegan products dairy alternatives egg substitutes plant-based protein dairy-free cheese |
| title | Vegan milk and egg alternatives commercialized in Brazil: A study of the nutritional composition and main ingredients |
| title_full | Vegan milk and egg alternatives commercialized in Brazil: A study of the nutritional composition and main ingredients |
| title_fullStr | Vegan milk and egg alternatives commercialized in Brazil: A study of the nutritional composition and main ingredients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vegan milk and egg alternatives commercialized in Brazil: A study of the nutritional composition and main ingredients |
| title_short | Vegan milk and egg alternatives commercialized in Brazil: A study of the nutritional composition and main ingredients |
| title_sort | vegan milk and egg alternatives commercialized in brazil a study of the nutritional composition and main ingredients |
| topic | vegan products dairy alternatives egg substitutes plant-based protein dairy-free cheese |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.964734/full |
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