Humans Absorb Less Protein From Plant-Based Meat, U.S. Study Shows

The movement for plant-based meat has already acquired widespread support with protein-rich plants like soybeans now frequently utilized as components. Despite this fact, it is still unknown how much of the protein makes it into human cells, the American Chemical Society (ACS) reported for SciTechDaily.

Photo Insert: The findings, however, boost the argument of the livestock and poultry industries that animal protein is still the best, with replacement meat from plants typically laced with high concentrations of salt and sugar.

Researchers report that proteins in a model plant-based alternative were not as easily absorbed by cells as those from meat in a recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry of ACS.

The researchers’ experiments revealed that meat replacement peptides were less water-soluble than chicken peptides and were not as well absorbed by human cells. Almost every kind of replacement meat, from ground beef to fish sticks, is now available.

Plants are dried into a powder and combined with spices to simulate the appearance and texture of the real thing. Typically, the combinations are then heated, moistened, and put through an extruder.

Because the plants used to manufacture them are rich in protein and low in unhealthy fats, these products are often considered to be healthier than animal meats. However, laboratory tests have shown that the breakdown of replacement proteins into peptides is inferior to that of proteins from meat.

Researchers have wanted to go a step further and see if human cells can absorb similar amounts of peptides from a model meat alternative as they can from a piece of chicken.

They created a model meat alternative made of soy and wheat gluten with the extrusion process. When cut open, the material had long fibrous pieces inside, just like chicken. Cooked pieces of the substitute and chicken meat were then ground up and broken down with an enzyme that humans use to digest food.

In vitro tests showed that meat-substitute peptides were less water-soluble than those from chicken, and they also were not absorbed as well by human cells. With this new understanding, the researchers say the next step is to identify other ingredients that could help boost the peptide uptake of plant-based meat substitutes.

The findings, however, boost the argument of the livestock and poultry industries that animal protein is still the best, with replacement meat from plants typically laced with high concentrations of salt and sugar.

The study was funded by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at the Ohio State University.

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