Pros and Cons of Plant-based Meats

Written by: Andrean Wangsa

Since a lot of plant-based meats are cooked in high temperatures (baking, frying, etc.), an emphasis will be put on soy, and meat Maillard reaction-related topics will be discussed. Based on (Samudranesia, 2019), statistics have shown that the Indonesian Vegetarian Society (IVS) has had a total of 150,000 members, and it was assumed that there are about more than 2 million Indonesians are vegetarian or vegan. Plant-based meats are usually made out of texturized vegetable proteins (TVPs), which are made from plants with high protein contents to have a stretchy and spongy texture, like soy (usually defatted soy meal, soy protein concentrates), or wheat (in the form of gluten), which are mixed with various ingredients, and are extruded to their respective shapes (Kinsella et al., 1979; Asgar et al., 2010; Orcutt et al., 2016). There is much controversy about plant proteins when people are talked into having a vegan diet. Notwithstanding the reason why people go vegan (ethical, environmental, or health), this is a discussion of the pros and cons of eating plant analogues. Imagine a pearl necklace which contains specific different colors, in specific arrangements, with a specific folded structure; that is a protein. Each pearl which constitutes the necklace is called an amino acid. There are many different amino acids, some are essential, some are not. Most meats contain complete amino acids which contain both, whereas plants generally do not contain/have meagre contents of some of the essential amino acids. With this being said, if you miss out on an amino acid, the pearl necklace production will be stopped despite you have some other amino acids. The amino acids which are depleted first are known as the limiting amino acids (Lehninger, 2017).

Plant-based meat (Source: https://trainright.com/plant-based-meat-athletes/)

Now, Andrean Wangsa, would love to discuss about the pros and cons of plant-based meats!

The Pros & Cons?

The Pros

• Soy is one of the very few sources of complete proteins in plants (Jay & Hoffman, 2004), other than some plants like amaranth, quinoa, and buckwheat (Skrobot et al., 2019). Since the latter three are not agriculturally native to Indonesia, it would be best to have soy as a plant-based protein alternative.
• Asian countries have the possibility of being a good market for plant-based meats in the future (Ismail, 2020)
• Unlike meats, plants contain less dangerous carcinogenic/mutagenic Maillard reaction products in comparison to meats, which include AGEs (high temperature processed meats were mentioned, plants were not) (Uribarri et al., 2010), PAHs (generally speaking, and compared to fish, beef, and chicken) (Harris et al., 2013; Ashraf et al., 2012; Chiang et al., 2020), HCAs (generally high concentrations on high temperature treated meats, and tobacco, plants were not mentioned) (National Cancer Institute, 2004).
• The replacement of meats with plants has a possibility to reduce saturated fats and increase polyunsaturated fats in the body (Ashton & Ball, 2000), depending on the formulation of the product.
• Vegetarian diets have been proven to of lowering total cholesterol (Wang et al., 2015), tofu, which is made from soy, has been compared to lean meat (Ashton & Ball, 2000).
• Beef and soy have similar PDCAAS (92 and 91) (Schaafsma, 2000), meaning that they have the same quality of protein digestibility.
• Consuming less meat may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancers (Richi et al., 2015).
• Indonesian biostatistical information in immunology have shown that children in 2011 are 7.4% allergic to soy, which is less than 8.8 to eggs, 8.8 in oysters, and 10.3 in both dairy and wheat (usually gluten), indicating that soy has the potential of being a good protein source (Candra et al., 2011).
• Soy meat analogues contain ~11.11% of carbohydrate matter (which include sugars, starches, and dietary fibers) (Rehrah et al., 2009). Dietary fibers are needed by humans; most people only eat a range of 9.9–10.7 grams, which does not require the recommendation of 30 grams per day (Santoso, 2011). Since no meat contains dietary fiber, using plant-based alternatives can help with this problem if they still contain it.
• Gives a convenient, vegan protein option for busy people in the present day

The Cons (might seem like there are a lot, but it’s because there are possible solutions, there’s no “full con”)

• Plants generally have higher acrylamides after heating in comparison to meats (FDA, 2019). Research by (FDA, 2017) done on potatoes have shown that some techniques can be done to avoid this, which is soaking 15–30 minutes, draining and blotting before processing, avoiding refrigeration (which is difficult for the case of plant-based meats), reducing the cooking time and temperature, and cooking until a light brown color is achieved instead of one that is dark.
• More research and development are needed to obtain a plant-based meat which resembles the nutritional and sensory properties of real meat.
• For the case of gluten, it contains very low lysine, meaning that it is an incomplete protein source, and lysine is the limiting amino acid (Jones, 2004). This problem can possibly be eliminated by fortification.
• There are very few vegan foods which contain vitamin B12, which is in charge of DNA synthesis. While it is true that it can be stored in the liver for 2–4 years; long term vitamin B12 deficiency can cause diseases like megaloblastic anemia (Hariz & Bhattacharya, 2020). It is recommended to consume supplements when going on a plant-based diet, or consuming tempeh and oncom, vegan foods rich in vitamin B12 due to fungal metabolism (Liem et al., 1977).
• Many people have undiagnosed celiac disease, or gluten intolerances, meaning some gluten (Alexander & Abdullah, 2017). With the addition of the trending gluten-free diet, wheat-based analogues may not be suitable.
• Another biostatistical research has shown that about 11,11% of adults are allergic to soy, where there are only peanuts at 18% and shrimp at 38% as numbers above soy (Garna et al., 2017). With this being said, it is essential to choose meat analogues wisely.
• Some meat analogues might not be healthier than real meats due to factors like higher salt contents (Ismail et al., 2020).
• Some local meat analogues contain casein, which is a protein derived from milk, making it unsuitable for non-vegans.
• Meat analogues may be low in iron due to the absence of animal products (Ismail et al., 2020), it is important to either fortify the product or for the consumer to eat iron-rich foods.
• Plant-based diets tend to be a deficit in zinc, folic acids, and vitamin B12 (Anggraini et al., 2015), it is advised to consume supplements, or eat more foods containing those nutrients.
• Due to food neophobia in some Asian countries, the wide-spreading of plant-based meats can be a challenge (Ismail et al., 2020)
• About 6kgs of plant protein are required to yield 1kg of meat protein (Pimentel, 2003)

REFERENCES:

Alexander, R., Abdullah, M. (2017). Celiac Disease. Volume 18, Number 3, December 2017

Anggraini, L., & Lestariana, W. (2015). Asupan gizi dan status gizi vegetarian pada komunitas vegetarian di Yogyakarta. Jurnal Gizi Klinik Indonesia, 11(4), 143–149. Retrieved from https://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/jgki/article/view/22986/1559 3

Asgar MA, Fazilah A, Huda N, Bhat R, Karim AA. Nonmeat protein alternatives as meat extenders and meat analogs. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2010;9:513–29. doi: 10.1111/j.1541- 4337.2010.00124.x.

Ashraf, M. W., & Salam, A. (2012). Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Vegetables and Fruits Produced in Saudi Arabia. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 88(4), 543–547. doi:10.1007/s00128–012–0528- 8

Ashton, E., & Ball, M. (2000). Effects of soy as tofu vs meat on lipoprotein concentrations. European Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, 54(1), 14–19. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600885

Chandra, Y., Setiarini, A., Rengganis, I. (2007) GAMBARAN SENSITIVITAS TERHADAP ALERGEN MAKANAN. MAKARA, KESEHATAN, VOL. 15, NO. 1, JUNI 2011: 44–50

Chiang, C.-F., Hsu, K.-C., Cho, C.-Y., Tsai, T.- Y., Hsu, C.-H., & Yang, D.-J. (2020). Comparison and establishment of appropriate methods to determine EU priority PAHs in charcoal-grilled chicken drumsticks with different treatments and their dietary risk assessments. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 111400. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2020.111400

Garna, D,R., Lucianus, J., Ivone, J. (2017) Descriptive Study on Skin Prick Test in Allergy Clinic Immanuel Hospital Bandung Indonesia. Journal of Medicine and Health Vol 1 №6 August 2017

Hariz, A., & Bhattacharya, P. (2020). Megaloblastic Anemia. Statpearls Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537254/#: ~:text=Folic%20acid%20and%20vitamin%20B12,di et%20may%20cause%20folate%20deficiency.

Harris, K., Banks, L., Mantey, J., Huderson, A., & Ramesh, A. (2013). Bioaccessibility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: relevance to toxicity and carcinogenesis. Expert Opinion On Drug Metabolism & Toxicology, 9(11), 1465- 1480. doi: 10.1517/17425255.2013.823157

“Heterocyclic Amines in Cooked Meats”. National Cancer Institute. 15 Sep 2004

Ismail, I., Hwang, Y., & Joo, S. (2020). Meat analog as future food: a review. Journal Of Animal Science And Technology, 62(2), 111–120. doi: 10.5187/jast.2020.62.2.111

Jay R. Hoffman, M. (2004). Protein — Which is Best?. Journal Of Sports Science & Medicine, 3(3), 118. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC390 5294/

Jones, J.M., Jones, C.I.M. (2004). Encyclopedia of Grain Science. Elsevier Publishing

Kinsella JE, Franzen KL. Texturized proteins: fabrication, flavoring, and nutrition. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 1978;10:147–207. doi: 10.1080/10408397809527248

Lehninger, A. L., Nelson, D. L., & Cox, M. M. (2016). Lehninger principles of biochemistry. New York: Worth Publishers.

Orcutt MW, McMindes MK, Chu H, Mueller IN, Bater B, Orcutt AL. Textured soy protein utilization in meat and meat analog products. In: Riaz MN, editor. Soy applications in food. New York: CRC Press; 2006. pp. 155–84. editor. p

Pimentel, M. (2003). Sustainability of meat-based and plant based diets and the environment. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 78(suppl), 660–663. http://doi.org/10.1177/0956247808089156

Rehrah, D., Ahmedna, M., Goktepe, I., Yu., J (2009) Extrusion parameters and consumer acceptability of a peanut-based meat analogue doi:10.1111/j.1365- 2621.2009.02035.x, Institute of Food Science and Technology

Richi, E.B.; Baumer, B.; Conrad, B.; Darioli, R.; Schmid, A.; Keller, U. Health Risks Associated with Meat Consumption: A Review of Epidemiological Studies. Int. J. Vitam. Nutr. Res. 2015, 85, 70–78

Santoso, A. (2011) Serat Pangan (Dietary Fiber) dan Manfaatnya Bagi Kesehatan Magistra №75 Th. XXIII Maret 2011 35 ISSN 0215–9511

Schaafsma, G. (2000). The Protein Digestibility– Corrected Amino Acid Score. The Journal Of Nutrition, 130(7), 1865S-1867S. doi: 10.1093/jn/130.7.1865s

Skrobot D. et al (2019). Buckwheat, Quinoa and Amaranth: Good Alternatives to Nutritious Food. Journal on Processing and Energy in Agriculture 23 (2019) 3

Uribarri, J., Woodruff, S., Goodman, S., Cai, W., Chen, X., & Pyzik, R. et al. (2010). Advanced Glycation End Products in Foods and a Practical Guide to Their Reduction in the Diet. Journal Of The American Dietetic Association, 110(6), 911- 916.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.03.018

Vegan Festival 2019 Turut Sosialisasikan Gaya Hidup Ramah Lingkungan — Portal Industri & Investasi Kemaritiman. (2019). Retrieved 28 August 2020, from http://samudranesia.id/vegan-festival2019-turut-sosialisasikan-gaya-hidup-ramahlingkungan/#:~:text=Saat%20ini%2C%20IVS%20(I ndonesia%20Vegetarian,vegan%20mencapai%20ang ka%202%20digit.

Wang, F et al. (2015), Effects of Vegetarian Diets on Blood Lipids: A Systematic Review and MetaAnalysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (J Am Heart Assoc. 2015;4:e002408 doi: 10.1161/JAHA.115.002408)