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There are many reasons why consumers and food producers are looking for alternatives to meat and meat products, which includes the following: health, environmental or ethical aspects. This study reviews recent scientific reports on meat analogues. The scope of the review includes the following: formulation and nutritional value; health safety and legal regulations; manufacturing and processing technologies including the latest developments in this area; product availability on the food market; and consumer attitudes towards meat analogues. The analysis of the literature data identified technological challenges, particularly in improving consumer acceptability of meat analogues. Among the risks and limitations associated with the production of meat analogues, the following were identified: contamination from raw materials and the risk of harmful by-products due to intensive processing; legal issues of product nomenclature; and consumer attitudes towards substituting meat with plant-based alternatives. The need for further research in this area, particularly on the nutritional value and food safety of meat analogues, was demonstrated.

Many people are increasingly interested in a vegetarian or vegan diet. Looking at the research and the available options in the market, there are two generations of products based on typical proteins, such as soy or gluten, and newer generation proteins, such as peas or faba beans, or even proteins based on previously used feed proteins. In the review, we present the characteristics of several proteins that can be consumed as alternatives to first-generation proteins used in vegan foods. In the following part of the work, we describe the research in which novel protein sources were used in terms of the product they are used for. The paper describes protein sources such as cereal proteins, oilseeds proteins coming from the cakes after oil pressing, and novel sources such as algae, insects, and fungus for use in meat analog products. Technological processes that can make non-animal proteins similar to meat are also discussed, as well as the challenges faced by technologists working in the field of vegan products.

Marinating is one of the most common methods of pre-processing meat. Appropriate selection of marinade ingredients can influence the physicochemical properties of the meat and can reduce the level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the final product. The effects of the inclusion of natural plant extracts such as bay leaf (BL), black pepper (BP), turmeric (TU), jalapeno pepper (JP) and tamarind paste (TA) in marinades on the physicochemical properties of grilled pork neck were studied. The addition of spice extracts to marinades increased the proportion of colour components L* and b*. The use of TU, TA, JP, MX and C marinades lowered the hardness and pH of the meat. The highest phenolic compound levels were observed in the case of the mixture of all extracts (MX) and JP marinades, and the highest total antioxidant capacity was exhibited by the BL and MX marinades. The highest PAH content was recorded in the CON marinade (Σ12PAH 98.48 ± 0.81 µg/kg) and the lowest in the JP marinade (4.76 ± 0.08 µg/kg), which had the strongest, statistically significant reducing effect (95% reduction) on PAH levels. Analysis of correlation coefficients showed a relationship between the total antioxidant capacity of the marinades and the PAH content in grilled pork.

In recent years, an increasing interest has been shown in alternative food sources. Many studies are focused on the use of insects. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in the chemical and thermal properties of black soldier fly larvae influenced by the pulsed electric field (PEF) and convective (CD) or infrared–convective (IR-CD) drying techniques. Examinations of the basic chemical composition, properties of extracted fat (fatty acid composition, acid and peroxide values, and oxidative stability), total polyphenol content, antioxidant activity, allergen content, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed. Generally, the results showed that dried black soldier fly larvae are a good source of protein and fat, up to 33% and 44%, respectively. The fat extracted from the dried insects consisted mainly of saturated fatty acids (above 75%), in particular lauric acid (C12:0). A good oxidative stability of the fat was also observed, especially from samples dried with the IR-CD method. The convective drying technique allowed for better preservation of protein content compared to samples dried with the IR-CD method. Nevertheless, samples treated with PEF were characterized by significantly lower protein content. The samples after PEF pretreatment, with an intensity of 20 and 40 kJ/kg and dried with the IR-CD method, were represented by a significantly higher total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, in most cases, the convectively dried samples were characterized by a higher allergen content, both crustaceans and mollusks. Taking into account all of the investigated properties, it can be stated that the samples without treatment and those that were PEF-treated with an intensity of 40 kJ/kg and dried with the infrared–convective method (IR-CD) were the most rewarding from the nutritional point of view.

Consumers are increasingly interested in innovative products enriched with nutrients that counteract the development of civilisation-associated diseases. Thus, the development of new functional nutrient-enriched food products that meet consumer needs is therefore necessary. The aims of this study were to develop a novel shortbread cookie product by addition of red grape skin extract and oat β-glucan and to evaluate the influence of these modifications on physico‐chemical properties and consumer’s acceptance. The red grape skin extract used in this product is a source of polyphenols which are beneficial for human health and extend product shelf life. β-glucan is a soluble fraction of dietary fibre that helps to lower reduce blood cholesterol and glycemic levels. The influence of grape skin extract, β-glucan and a combination of both on the β-glucan content, colour and texture parameters, thermal properties, total antioxidant activity, total phenolic content, volatile compounds profile and sensory properties of shortbread cookies was analysed. Product with modified formulations had higher total antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and were was more thermally stable than control samples. The obtained innovative functional products were characterized by an increased content of oat β-glucan, which is desirable from a nutritional point of view. The DSC measurements showed higher oxidative stability of cookies enriched with β-glucan and red grape skin extract. The additives caused significant changes in the colour and profile of volatile compounds of the finished final product but did not affect the sensory acceptance among consumers. The use of these additives represents a development in food technology that may be valuable in the food industry to increase the nutritional value and extend the shelf shelf-life of bakery products.

Edible insects may solve the current problem of the greater demand for food for the world’s growing human population. This work aimed to examine the impact of blanching (BL) and ultrasound (US) at 20 and 50 °C as a pretreatment method on the chemical composition, mineral composition, FTIR spectra, presence of allergens and microorganisms, and properties of the isolated oil of freeze-dried superworm larvae. The US treatment resulted in significantly lower protein content (31.65–33.34 g/100 g d.m.) compared to untreated (36.38 g/100 g d.m.) and BL (37.72 g/100 g d.m.) samples. The study demonstrated that the US-treated insects exhibited a lower content of crustacean and mollusk allergens than the BL insects, and the lowest content of tested allergens was found in the US_50°C superworm larvae. Furthermore, oil isolated from US_50°C insects exhibited the lowest SFA and the highest PUFA content and the best prospective nutritional properties expressed through theoretical health indices. The presence of Enterobacteriaceae and anaerobic spore-forming bacteria was not detected in the tested insects, proving suitable microbiological quality. It appears that using US treatment is a promising alternative to traditional blanching of insects before drying.

The growing world population necessitates the implementation of appropriate processing technologies for edible insects. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of distinct drying techniques, including convective drying at 70 °C (70CD) and 90 °C (90CD) and freeze-drying (FD), on the drying kinetics, physical characteristics (water activity, color), chemical characteristics (chemical composition, amino acid profile, oil properties, total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity, mineral composition, FTIR), and presence of hazards (allergens, microorganisms) of blanched yellow mealworm larvae. The freeze-drying process results in greater lightness and reduced moisture content and water activity. The study demonstrated that the freeze-dried insects exhibited lower contents of protein and essential amino acids as compared to the convective-dried insects. The lowest content of total polyphenols was found in the freeze-dried yellow mealworm larvae; however, the highest antioxidant activity was determined for those insects. Although the oil isolated from the freeze-dried insects exhibited the lowest acid and peroxide values, it proved to have the lowest PUFA content and oxidative stability. All the samples met the microbiological criteria for dried insects. The results of the study demonstrate that a high temperature during the CD method does not result in the anticipated undesirable changes. It appears that freeze-drying is not the optimal method for preserving the nutritional value of insects, particularly with regard to the quality of protein and oil.

Milk is a valuable raw material with incomparable nutritional and technological properties. The dairy market is a fast-growing economical area with more and more innovations emerging recently. The review identifies contemporary trends in the dairy industry, focusing on specific types of A1 and A2 milk and their applications. The A2-type milk is a promising innovation with the potential to alleviate the problem of milk consumption associated with the BCM-7 peptide which is important for many consumers. An increase in its production could also positively impact on biodiversity. A1 and A2 milk have different properties which should be analyzed in future studies. An important topic is newly developed processing methods that allow obtaining safe dairy products without a significant impact on their nutritional value and functional and sensory properties. Thermal, non-thermal, and combined processing technologies are continuously developed. However, there is currently insufficient information on the impact of processing technology on A2 milk. This will likely change in the near future. The combination of the latest technological advances will soon make it possible to provide new, increased quality of dairy products to consumers.

The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of fat replacement by oat β-glucan concentrates on the physicochemical properties of beef burgers. The goal was to obtain a low-fat product accepted by consumers, having physicochemical parameters similar to the control sample, composed of β-glucan at least by 1%. This evaluation was based on basic composition, β-glucan and cholesterol content, colour and texture analysis, pH value, WHC, volatile compounds profile and sensory properties of burgers. Burgers with β-glucan concentrates had lower cholesterol content and higher WHC and texture (hardness, cohesiveness and springiness increase) parameters than control burgers. The highest overall acceptance scores among the samples with β-glucan were recorded for the sample with β-glucan 30% concentrate in amount of 4%. This modification could allow the substitution of traditional beef burgers with a healthier low-fat meat product with similar customer appeal.

In recent years, interest in functional foods and meat analogues has increased. This study investigated the effect of the type of vegetable fat and ingredients with antioxidant activity on the properties of a meat analogue based on textured pea protein. The possibility of using acai oil (AO), canola oil (CO) and olive oil (OO); propolis extract (P); buckwheat honey (H); and jalapeno pepper extract (JE) was investigated. The texture, colour and selected chemical parameters of plant-based burgers were analysed. Results showed that burgers from control group had the lowest hardness, while burgers with honey had the highest. The highest MUFA content was found in samples with olive oil. Samples with honey were characterised by the highest content of polyphenols, flavonoids and antioxidant capacity. The highest overall acceptability was observed in burgers from the JE-CO group. Therefore, it is possible to use selected ingredients with antioxidant activity in the recipe for a plant-based burger with high product acceptability.