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

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.

The Impact of Vanilla and Lemon Aromas on Sensory Perception in Plant-Based Yogurts Measured with Static and Dynamic Methods

“…The unflavored sample had a higher volatile proportion associated with grass-like flavor than vanilla and lemon samples, supporting the more intense grain-like flavor in these samples. For instance, 2-pentylfuran has a very low threshold value and is, thus, an essential contributor to flavor [ 50 , 51 ]. The volatile profiles suggest that the added aromas did not only mask the grain-like flavor, but the grassy-like aroma compounds were more present in unflavored samples.…”

Fermentation Conditions Affect the Synthesis of Volatile Compounds, Dextran, and Organic Acids by Weissella confusa A16 in Faba Bean Protein Concentrate

“…These are products that have a meat-like texture and that have the potential to replace meat. However, the flavor of such extrudable plant-based ingredients is often seen as challenging for consumers’ acceptance and liking [ 10 , 11 ].…”

“…The pea odor and flavor in FPC were linked to the presence of lipid-degrading enzymes (lipase and lipoxygenase) and several lipid-oxidation products, such as 1-hexanol. This and other compounds (e.g., hexanal, octanal, nonanal, 1-octen-3-ol, octanol) are very common in different protein-rich materials [ 10 ] and are often associated with beany, earthy, and grass odors [ 12 ]. The combination of several volatile compounds is known to result in an overall beany odor [ 13 , 14 ].…”

“…However, in other food applications (e.g., plant-based yogurts), the sourness caused by fermentation could improve the overall sensory quality [ 33 ]. In the case of products for which sourness is not a desired quality, optimization of the fermentation process has to be considered when aiming to improve the flavor of plant-based ingredients [ 10 , 24 , 31 ].…”

Comparison of Odorants in Beef and Chicken Broth—Focus on Thiazoles and Thiazolines

“…The rapid growth in vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian diets has led to renewed interest in the development of process flavourings with authentic flavour profiles of cooked meat, which is an important determinant of consumer acceptance [ 1 ]. Despite the advances in analytical techniques, recent studies were more interested in specific animal breeds [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ], distinct animal parts [ 5 , 6 ] or special cooking techniques [ 7 , 8 , 9 ] rather than a comparison between species using the same cooking and extraction technique.…”