Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 May;21(3):2898-2929.
doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12964. Epub 2022 Apr 26.

Flavor challenges in extruded plant-based meat alternatives: A review

Yaqin Wang  1 , Fabio Tuccillo  1 , Anna-Maija Lampi  1 , Antti Knaapila  1 , Marjo Pulkkinen  1 , Susanna Kariluoto  1 , Rossana Coda  1   2 , Minnamari Edelmann  1 , Kirsi Jouppila  1 , Mari Sandell  1   3 , Vieno Piironen  1 , Kati Katina  1
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Flavor challenges in extruded plant-based meat alternatives: A review

Yaqin Wang et al. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2022 May.
Free article

Abstract

Demand for plant-based meat alternatives has increased in recent years due to concerns about health, ethics, the environment, and animal welfare. Nevertheless, the market share of plant-based meat alternatives must increase significantly if they are to support sustainable food production and consumption. Flavor is an important limiting factor of the acceptability and marketability of plant-based meat alternatives. Undesirable chemosensory perceptions, such as a beany flavor, bitter taste, and astringency, are often associated with plant proteins and products that use them. This study reviewed 276 articles to answer the following five research questions: (1) What are the volatile and nonvolatile compounds responsible for off-flavors? (2) What are the mechanisms by which these flavor compounds are generated? (3) What is the influence of thermal extrusion cooking (the primary structuring technique to transform plant proteins into fibrous products that resemble meat in texture) on the flavor characteristics of plant proteins? (4) What techniques are used in measuring the flavor properties of plant-based proteins and products? (5) What strategies can be used to reduce off-flavors and improve the sensory appeal of plant-based meat alternatives? This article comprehensively discusses, for the first time, the flavor issues of plant-based meat alternatives and the technologies available to improve flavor and, ultimately, acceptability.

Keywords: Extrusion; flavor; legumes; meat alternatives; plant-based; proteins.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Aaslyng, M. D., Martens, M., Poll, L., Nielsen, P. M., Flyge, H., & Larsen, L. M. (1998). Chemical and sensory characterization of hydrolyzed vegetable protein, a savory flavoring. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 46(2), 481-489.
    1. Aguilera, J. M., & Kosikowski, F. V. (1976). Soybean extruded product: a response surface analysis. Journal of Food Science, 41, 647-651.
    1. Ahmad, R. S., Imran, A., & Hussain, M. B. (2018). Nutritional composition of meat. In M. S. Arshad (Ed.), Meat science and nutrition (pp. 61-77). BoD-Books on Demand: Health and Fitness.
    1. Akkad, R., Kharraz, E., Han, J., House, J. D., & Curtis, J. M. (2019). Characterisation of the volatile flavour compounds in low and high tannin faba beans (Vicia faba var. minor) grown in Alberta, Canada. Food Research International, 120, 285-294.
    1. Alhendi, A., Yang, W., Goodrich-Schneider, R., & Sarnoski, P. J. (2017). Inactivation of lipoxygenase in soymilk by pulsed light. International Journal of Food Engineering, 13(12), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijfe-2017-0228

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources