New Research Reveals That Plant-Based Meat Substitutes Often Lack Nutritional Value

Nutritional Value Concept

The study reveals that the nutritional value of meat substitutes currently on the market is often inadequate, based on factors such as the selection of raw materials (often imported soy), processing methods (content of anti-nutrients), and added ingredients (fat quality and salt).

The rise of plant-based protein options as meat substitutes has grown significantly as more individuals adopt a plant-based diet. However, the nutritional value of these products remains a concern. A study from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has found that many meat substitutes sold in Sweden boast high iron content, but it is in a form that cannot be absorbed by the body.

Ann Sofie Sandberg

Professor Ann-Sofie Sandberg, The Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology. Credit: Chalmers

A diet largely made up of plant-based foods such as root vegetables, pulses, fruit, and vegetables generally has a low climate impact and is also associated with health benefits such as a reduced risk of age-related diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as has been shown in several large studies. But there have been far fewer studies of how people’s health is affected by eating products based on what is known as texture plant proteins.

In the new study from Chalmers, a research team in the Division of Food and Nutrition Science analyzed 44 different meat substitutes sold in Sweden. The products are mainly manufactured from soy and pea protein, but also include the fermented soy product tempeh and mycoproteins, that is, proteins from fungi.

“Among these products, we saw a wide variation in nutritional content and how sustainable they can be from a health perspective. In general, the estimated absorption of iron and zinc from the products was extremely low. This is because these meat substitutes contained high levels of phytates, antinutrients that inhibit the absorption of minerals in the body,” says Cecilia Mayer Labba, the study’s lead author, who recently defended her thesis on the nutritional limitations of switching from animal protein to plant-based protein.

The body misses out on necessary minerals

Phytates are found naturally in beans and cereals – they accumulate when proteins are extracted for use in meat substitutes. In the gastrointestinal tract, where mineral absorption takes place, phytates form insoluble compounds with essential dietary minerals, especially non-heme iron (iron found in plant foods) and zinc, which means that they cannot be absorbed in the intestine.

“Both iron and zinc also accumulate in protein extraction. This is why high levels are listed among the product’s ingredients, but the minerals are bound to phytates and cannot be absorbed and used by the body,” says Cecilia Mayer Labba.

Cecilia Mayer Labba

Dr. Cecilia Mayer Labba, The Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology. Credit: Martina Butorac/Chalmers

Iron deficiency among women is a widespread, global problem. In Europe, 10 to 32 per cent of women of childbearing age are affected and almost one in three teenage girls at secondary school in Sweden. Women are also the group in society most likely to have switched to a plant-based diet and to eat the least amount of red meat, which is the main source of iron that can be easily absorbed in the digestive tract.

‘It is clear that when it comes to minerals in meat substitutes, the amount that is available for absorption by the body is a very important consideration. You cannot just look at the list of ingredients. Some of the products we studied are fortified with iron but it is still inhibited by phytates. We believe that making nutrition claims on only those nutrients that can be absorbed by the body could create incentives for the industry to improve those products,’ says Ann-Sofie Sandberg, Professor of Food and Nutrition Science at Chalmers and co-author of the study.

The food industry needs new methods

Tempeh, made from fermented soybeans, differed from the other meat substitutes in the amount of iron available for absorption by the body. This was expected, as the fermentation of tempeh uses microorganisms that break down phytates. Mycoproteins stood out for their high zinc content, without containing any known absorption inhibitors. However, according to the researchers, it is still unclear how well our intestines can break down the cell walls of mycoprotein and how this in turn affects the absorption of nutrients.

“Plant-based food is important for the transition to sustainable food production, and there is huge development potential for plant-based meat substitutes. The industry needs to think about the nutritional value of these products and to utilize and optimize known process techniques such as fermentation, but also develop new methods to increase the absorption of various important nutrients,” says Cecilia Mayer Labba.

Production of plant proteins

  • Most existing plant-based protein products on the market are based on protein extracted from a cultivated plant, such as soybeans, and separated from the plant’s other components.
  • The protein is then subjected to high pressure and temperature, which restructures the proteins, known as texturization so that a product can be achieved that is meatier and chewier in combination with other ingredients.
  • Chalmers’ study shows that the nutritional value of meat substitutes available today is often deficient depending on the choice of raw material (often imported soy) and processing conditions (content of anti-nutrients), and on additives (fat quality and salt).
  • A meal containing 150 grams of meat substitutes contributes up to 60 percent of the maximum recommended daily intake of salt, which according to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations is 6 grams.

Reference: “Nutritional Composition and Estimated Iron and Zinc Bioavailability of Meat Substitutes Available on the Swedish Market” by Inger-Cecilia Mayer Labba, Hannah Steinhausen, Linnéa Almius, Knud Erik Bach Knudsen and Ann-Sofie Sandberg, 21 September 2022, Nutrients.
DOI: 10.3390/nu14193903

The study was funded by the Bertebos Foundation, the Swedish Research Council Formas, and the region of Västra Götaland.

8 Comments on "New Research Reveals That Plant-Based Meat Substitutes Often Lack Nutritional Value"

  1. Dead soil = nutritionally dead produce. The Save Soil movement has over 80 countries on board so far, so the future of vegetables looks bright.
    We need to look beyond “blaming the plant” ot vegetarian science, the root goes deeper, pun intended.

    • Most plant based products are sourced from Legumes which is a frontrunner for high uric acid! Yes plant-based, sounds healthy. Not really!

  2. Cultured meat is the future. We will get all the benefits of meat w/o having to raise and kill animals, which is one major reason why why many switch to a plant based diet.

  3. Don’t forget all the high sodium in most plant based meat. They add so much it can make someone stroke.

  4. HerrForkenSpoon | January 19, 2023 at 2:39 am | Reply

    Due to stage 5 CKD, I eat a mostly plant-based diet. I’m aware that there is a shortage of several vitamins and minerals & take supplements to include them.
    As for taste, that is an individual matter.
    You can read the labels and choose those with low sodium.
    Uric acid is very high in animal protein.
    In the end, it’s up to the individual and there’s no need to denigrate something just because you don’t like it.

  5. Carbohydrates (super charged by omega-6 seed oils – the original source of trans-fats surprise surprise) directly cause cancer, diabetes, heart disease, liver disease and dementia.

  6. We alternate technology that has zero fossil fuel inputs that take grass from marginal land and turn it into high quality proteins and milk.

    The COW.

Leave a Reply to Mike Cancel reply

Email address is optional. If provided, your email will not be published or shared.