Are Vegan Alternatives to Meat Products Healthy? A Study on Nutrients and Main Ingredients of Products Commercialized in Brazil
Proteins are essential components in human nutrition, and animal products are usually the primary sources of human ingestion. However, the number of adherents to vegetarian and vegan diets has grown significantly, highlighting the need for alternatives to replace animal proteins. Meat substitutes ai...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.900598/full |
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| author | Bernardo Romão Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho Eduardo Yoshio Nakano António Raposo Heesup Han Alejandro Vega-Muñoz Antonio Ariza-Montes Renata Puppin Zandonadi |
| author_facet | Bernardo Romão Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho Eduardo Yoshio Nakano António Raposo Heesup Han Alejandro Vega-Muñoz Antonio Ariza-Montes Renata Puppin Zandonadi |
| author_sort | Bernardo Romão |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Proteins are essential components in human nutrition, and animal products are usually the primary sources of human ingestion. However, the number of adherents to vegetarian and vegan diets has grown significantly, highlighting the need for alternatives to replace animal proteins. Meat substitutes aim to mimic the nutritional value and sensory characteristics of meat. However, studies suggest differences in their composition. This study is the first to evaluate Brazilian meat substitutes' nutritional quality and ingredients. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was performed in three steps: (i) Sample mapping of products commercialized nationwide; (ii) Ingredients and nutritional data collection and classification; (iii) Statistical analysis. One hundred twenty-five meat substitutes were included and described. The primary protein sources were soy, gluten, and pea protein ingredients. Vegan meat substitutes presented similar energy and protein values, with few exceptions among samples, with vegan canned fish alternatives presenting less protein than their counterparts. Overall vegan products did not differ regarding sodium levels but showed high amounts to compose a lunch or dinner meal. Vegan meat substitutes showed higher carbohydrates, dietary fiber concentrations, and few differences regarding total and saturated fat. Vegan meat substitutes may contribute to the adherence and maintenance of vegan and vegetarian diets. However, future studies about the implemented ingredients are needed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T05:48:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c187b287d72b462684291922be8f0617 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T05:48:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-c187b287d72b462684291922be8f06172022-12-22T00:35:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-05-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.900598900598Are Vegan Alternatives to Meat Products Healthy? A Study on Nutrients and Main Ingredients of Products Commercialized in BrazilBernardo Romão0Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho1Eduardo Yoshio Nakano2António Raposo3Heesup Han4Alejandro Vega-Muñoz5Antonio Ariza-Montes6Renata Puppin Zandonadi7Department of Nutrition, University of Brasilia, Brasília, BrazilDepartment of Nutrition, University of Brasilia, Brasília, BrazilDepartment of Statistics, University of Brasilia, 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 Brasilia, Brasília, BrazilProteins are essential components in human nutrition, and animal products are usually the primary sources of human ingestion. However, the number of adherents to vegetarian and vegan diets has grown significantly, highlighting the need for alternatives to replace animal proteins. Meat substitutes aim to mimic the nutritional value and sensory characteristics of meat. However, studies suggest differences in their composition. This study is the first to evaluate Brazilian meat substitutes' nutritional quality and ingredients. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was performed in three steps: (i) Sample mapping of products commercialized nationwide; (ii) Ingredients and nutritional data collection and classification; (iii) Statistical analysis. One hundred twenty-five meat substitutes were included and described. The primary protein sources were soy, gluten, and pea protein ingredients. Vegan meat substitutes presented similar energy and protein values, with few exceptions among samples, with vegan canned fish alternatives presenting less protein than their counterparts. Overall vegan products did not differ regarding sodium levels but showed high amounts to compose a lunch or dinner meal. Vegan meat substitutes showed higher carbohydrates, dietary fiber concentrations, and few differences regarding total and saturated fat. Vegan meat substitutes may contribute to the adherence and maintenance of vegan and vegetarian diets. However, future studies about the implemented ingredients are needed.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.900598/fullmeat substitutesplant-basedmeatlabelnutritional compositioningredients |
| spellingShingle | Bernardo Romão Raquel Braz Assunção Botelho Eduardo Yoshio Nakano António Raposo Heesup Han Alejandro Vega-Muñoz Antonio Ariza-Montes Renata Puppin Zandonadi Are Vegan Alternatives to Meat Products Healthy? A Study on Nutrients and Main Ingredients of Products Commercialized in Brazil Frontiers in Public Health meat substitutes plant-based meat label nutritional composition ingredients |
| title | Are Vegan Alternatives to Meat Products Healthy? A Study on Nutrients and Main Ingredients of Products Commercialized in Brazil |
| title_full | Are Vegan Alternatives to Meat Products Healthy? A Study on Nutrients and Main Ingredients of Products Commercialized in Brazil |
| title_fullStr | Are Vegan Alternatives to Meat Products Healthy? A Study on Nutrients and Main Ingredients of Products Commercialized in Brazil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Are Vegan Alternatives to Meat Products Healthy? A Study on Nutrients and Main Ingredients of Products Commercialized in Brazil |
| title_short | Are Vegan Alternatives to Meat Products Healthy? A Study on Nutrients and Main Ingredients of Products Commercialized in Brazil |
| title_sort | are vegan alternatives to meat products healthy a study on nutrients and main ingredients of products commercialized in brazil |
| topic | meat substitutes plant-based meat label nutritional composition ingredients |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.900598/full |
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