- Researchers compared the protein absorption of plant-based meat and chicken.
- Protein absorption was higher in chicken than in plant-based meat.
- Researchers have concluded that the nutritional value of plant-based meat can be improved by changing formulations and production conditions.
In recent years, plant-based meat has become common as a way to “enjoy the taste of meat” without harming animals or the environment.
Low-fat and cholesterol levels in plant-based meat may help reduce the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease, but studies show that it may be less digestible than animal-derived meat.
Knowing more about how plant-based proteins are digested may help assess their feasibility as a major source of dietary protein.
Recently, researchers have compared protein absorption from plant-based meat and chicken. They found that plant-based proteins were less absorbed during the in vitro digestion process than proteins from chicken.
The study was published in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
For research, researchers created a plant-based “chicken” from soy concentrate and wheat gluten. The protein content of the final product was 24.2%.
The plant-based meat was then cooked with chicken, ground to simulate the chewing process, and passed through a 2.36 mm sieve to avoid the effect of sample size on the digestion of the two samples.
The resulting “meat mass” underwent various in vitro tests to model protein absorption during digestion.
From these tests, researchers found that the water solubility of plant-based meat gradually increased during in vitro digestion, reaching about 8% after gastric digestion and 14% at the end of intestinal digestion. did.
However, they found that chicken peptides were consistently more water-soluble than plant-based peptides.
In addition, they noted that of the 110 peptides identified in plant-based meat, about 50% remained after the digestive process.
On the other hand, of the more than 500 peptides identified in chicken, only 15% remained after digestion. They write that this suggests that chicken peptides are more easily absorbed than those from plant-based sources.
When asked why human cells absorb less protein from plant-based meat than chicken, Dr. Da Chen, a postdoctoral fellow at Ohio State University and author of the study, was asked why. Today’s medical news:
“Proteins are digested before they are absorbed by human intestinal epithelial cells. After digestion, proteins are primarily peptides. Peptide size and polarity are reported to be closely related to their absorption. It has been.”
“In our study, peptides produced from the digestion of plant-based meat were larger. [and less water soluble]It slows the passage of epithelial cells compared to chicken and reduces absorption efficiency, “he explained.
Professor Balasubramaniam of VM (Bala), Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Ohio State University, who was not involved in the study, agreed.
“I agree with the author’s observations on this. As they pointed out, chicken protein showed better swelling capacity to help promote digestive enzymes. Soy protein hydrolyzes protein. Contains certain antinutrients (such as phytate and tannin) that may limit [water solubility],” He said MNT..
“In addition, structural differences between plant-based and animal-based foods can also affect how proteins are released,” he added.
David Julian McClements, a prominent professor at the University of Massachusetts School of Food Sciences who was not involved in the study, said digestibility and absorption depended on several factors:
- Protein type
- Protein denaturation
- Protein aggregation
- Food matrix effect
- Antinutrients
- Processing and cooking methods
Therefore, he stated that the results of this study do not apply to all plant-based meat comparisons.
As an example of this, wheat gluten is not water-soluble and has a harder structure than soybean and chicken proteins, making it difficult to digest. The plan-based meat for this study was 28% wheat, so current findings may not apply to plant-based meat made purely from soybeans.
The authors conclude that the nutritional value of plant-based meat can be improved by changing the formulation and production conditions.
“When assessing the quality of plant-based meat, we need to consider not only texture but also protein nutrition,” said Dr. Da Chen. MNT.
“Research results are beginning to provide insights into how different plant and animal proteins affect human health, which allows food processors to benefit from a variety of food processing technologies and raw materials. And you will be able to understand the restrictions. “
—Professor Balasubramaniam
Dr. Chen also emphasized that plant-based meat is still a viable source of protein.
“For consumers, plant-based meats still provide valuable protein nutrition because they contain a good amino acid profile. Should consumers eat more plant-based meats to get the same nutrition? Please, it is out of scope for this study because it depends on the daily intake of unimplemented protein, “he said.
When asked about the limits of the study, Dr. Chen said, “We used only soy / wheat protein as the primary protein source for meat analog production. Results may vary when manufactured with other proteins or different formulations. There is. “
“Our research [also] It is used only in in vitro digestion and may show some differences compared to in vivo digestion.future [studies] We should focus more on clinical trials, “he added.
Nonetheless, Dr. McClements said this study, and other studies that prefer it, are important. He states: “When we replace animal foods with plant-based alternatives, we don’t want to adversely affect human nutrition and health.”
“Therefore, it is important that plant-based foods are designed to have a nutritional profile and digestibility / absorption behavior equal to or better than animal-based foods that they are designed to replace,” he said. I concluded.
