2023-05-21 16:37:30
Eating plant-based food is healthier than consuming mostly animal products. But what about meat substitutes such as veggie burgers? An in-depth and at the same time broad study at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) focuses on the way in which meat substitutes affect human health, the university reports.
The adoption of meat substitutes is important for the protein transition. Stacy Pyett, Program Manager Proteins for Life at WUR, talks about the current state and challenges of this protein transition during the innovation summit F&A Next on Wageningen Campus 24-25 May.
Many people like to eat meat but are also looking for plant-based alternatives. That is why veggie burgers and other meat substitutes are increasingly resembling meat in terms of taste and structure. In recent years, these types of products have quickly become more popular. Now that these meat substitutes have become a regular part of our diet, it is crucial that more research is done to better understand how to make them tasty, but also as healthy as possible.
Meat substitutes contain vegetable proteins that are processed into a hamburger or other product together with other ingredients. These products are particularly important to WUR researchers such as Markus Steigers, professor of Food Oral Processing at the Sensory Science and Eating Behavior group and at Food Quality and Design, and Edoardo Capuano, associate professor at Food Quality and Design. “There is still not enough knowledge about the health effects of dietary patterns in which many meat substitutes are used,” says Stieger. “Especially about the long-term health effects, very little information is available.”
Proteins and intestinal flora
“The first and most important aspect is the quality of the protein in meat substitutes, which should mimic as much as possible the exceptional quality of the protein in meat. But it’s not just that,” says Capuano. “It is also the quality of the added fat and other nutrients that can affect health. Think of minerals, such as iron, vitamins and even salt.”
What scientists like Capuano know little about is how our intestinal flora (microbiota) is influenced by changing food habits. “Anything that isn’t digested and absorbed by our bodies is exposed to our gut flora,” says Capuano. “Replacing meat with plant-based meat substitutes therefore also changes the chemical environment of the intestinal flora, but we do not yet know what the effect of such exposure is.”
Questions from multiple disciplines
New studies by Stieger, Capuano and other researchers from Wageningen University & Research delve into the health effects of meat substitutes. They try to answer countless questions, such as: How are the proteins in these products digested? How can the body use them? How is the intestinal flora affected? In addition to proteins, carbohydrates and fats, they will also study vitamins and minerals, and the presence of possible toxins caused by heating.
Such questions can only be answered by looking at the challenges from different perspectives. “To understand these effects,” explains Capuano, “we need expert knowledge in the field of human nutrition, because we need to understand all the complex reactions of protein foods. We need microbiologists to understand the effects on the gut microbiota in the colon. And we need animal scientists to conduct animal digestive experiments to complement the knowledge gained from human research.” Stieger adds further research into the effects of chewing on the digestion and metabolism of the ingredients.
Moving forward together
At WUR, various chair groups, institutes and departments are joining forces in a series of collaborative projects on this subject. Wageningen University & Research has also been researching the protein transition for years and believes it is important that this knowledge is widely applied in practice. That is why WUR is committed to sharing knowledge with the broad group of stakeholders, such as the business community, start-ups and other knowledge institutions, that is necessary to realize the transition in practice. During F&A Next, these stakeholders come together to discuss this subject, among other things.
Bron: WUR
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