Can vegetable meat become analogous to meat of animal origin and are they really interchangeable in their composition?
Scientists from the United States were looking for the answer to this question, and found it, as evidenced by the results of a study published on the Scientific Reports portal.
A metabolomic analysis was carried out: for the study, two equal portions of the product – vegetable meat and ground beef – 113 grams were taken. The fat content of both servings was 14 grams.
The study revealed that metabolites of different classes in the samples differ in amino acid composition, as well as in the content of vitamins, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and phenols in meat. 22 metabolites, for example, were found only in beef. It was concluded that vegetable and beef meat cannot be used interchangeably in the diet.
Some nutrients, as noted by scientists, have the properties necessary for the body: physiological, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory. For example, substances such as omega-3, vitamin B3, hydroxyproline, glucosamine, and certain antioxidants were found in only one sample – beef.
Research has shown that alternative meats contain metabolites that are not found in minced meat. They were counted 31. Some substances (such as vitamin C) were also found only in the plant analogue.
In an interview for the publication “Veterinary Medicine and Life”, the director of the Federal Research Center of Food Systems. VM Gorbatova Oksana Kuznetsova commented that, despite the growth in sales of plant-based alternatives, such meat in Russia is unlikely to replace real meat.
The expert noted that without the additional use of food additives (under the supervision of a doctor), the replacement of traditional meat is impossible. The body must receive all the necessary nutrients and substances that are contained in meat only of animal origin.