Structuring, Sensory Quality, and Nutrition of Plant-Based Meat and Alternative Protein Foods

Plant-based meat and alternative protein foods are increasingly being developed to support more diversified and sustainable food systems. However, their wider acceptance remains limited by challenges related to structure, texture, juiciness, flavor, appearance, and nutritional performance. Proteins derived from legumes, cereals, oilseeds, algae, fungi, microorganisms, insects, and food-processing by-products often behave differently from animal proteins during processing and product formulation. These differences can result in weak fibrous structures, poor water and fat retention, undesirable mouthfeel, and limited cooking performance. In addition, beany, grassy, bitter, astringent, or fermentation-derived off-flavors may reduce consumer acceptance. Variations in amino acid balance, digestibility, anti-nutritional factors, and nutrient bioaccessibility further complicate the development of nutritionally balanced and appealing alternative protein products.This Research Topic aims to advance the design of plant-based meat and alternative protein foods by integrating structuring and texturization technologies with improvements in sensory and nutritional quality. Particular attention will be given to processing approaches such as high- and low-moisture extrusion, shear-cell processing, spinning, 3D food printing, fermentation-assisted structuring, and related technologies that create fibrous, layered, or anisotropic food structures. Colloidal design strategies, including Pickering emulsions, emulsion gels, oleogels, bigels, microgels, encapsulation systems, and fat mimetics, are also encouraged as tools for improving juiciness, mouthfeel, and flavor delivery. The collection also seeks studies addressing off-flavor identification and mitigation through fermentation, enzymatic treatment, ingredient interactions, aroma delivery, and flavor generation strategies. Studies examining how processing and structure influence protein digestibility, amino acid availability, nutrient bioaccessibility, anti-nutritional factors, and gastrointestinal behavior are particularly welcome. By linking product structure with sensory perception and nutritional performance, this collection seeks to support the development of more acceptable, nutritious, and high-quality alternative protein foods.This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives, short communications, and methods papers. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Structuring and texturization using extrusion, shear-cell processing, spinning, thermo-mechanical treatments, 3D food printing, freeze structuring, and fermentation-assisted approaches;• Pickering emulsions, emulsion gels, oleogels, bigels, microgels, encapsulation systems, and fat-mimetic technologies;• Relationships among processing conditions, microstructure, rheology, texture, juiciness, oral processing, and cooking performance;• Mechanisms and strategies for off-flavor mitigation, flavor and aroma delivery, natural color development, and sensory optimization;• Protein digestibility, amino acid quality, nutrient bioaccessibility, anti-nutritional factors, gastrointestinal behavior, gut microbiota responses, and related digestive and nutritional outcomes;• Integrated studies linking structuring, sensory quality, and nutritional performance in plant-based meat and alternative protein foods. Topic editors: Quanquan Lin, Xiao Liu, Jie Hong Chiang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84622/structuring-sensory-quality-and-nutrition-of-plant-based-meat-and-alternative-protein-foods