Vegan Meal and Meat Alternatives: What are their Production, Processing and Packaging Processes?
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“Artificial meat” has been gaining significant attention in recent media discussions. Traditional meats, which are a staple in many diets, contribute to a balanced and nutritious eating plan and provides a stable source of protein. However, “Artificial meat” is designed as a replacement for these conventional meats, offering an alternative protein source, and preferred by vegetarianisms who refuse to consume animal meats or by those people who try to follow an allegedly healthier and more sustainable living style.
Along with the prevailing culture of ready meals, plant-based protein and meat alternative vegan meal has taken a considerable portion of this growing market. Nevertheless, the absence of a universally accepted definition for “artificial meat” might lead to uncertainty among consumers who are not familiar with this topic.
As a packaging machine manufacturer who has the business related to automation solutions for vegan meal clients with whom we have tight connections, we will study into the secrets of these plant-based meat alternative products, to clarify what are plant-based meat alternatives, how they are made and what are the ingredients used, and the full insights into their production, processing and packaging processes.
What are Plant-Based Meat Alternatives and Examples?
The term of “artificial meat” has revealed to some extent the nature of meat alternatives. Plant-based meat alternatives are products designed to replicate the taste, texture, and appearance of animal meat, using plant-derived ingredients.
An underground factor that most of those Westerners do not know is that the culture of meat alternative has been lasting long in the Chinese cuisine and has profound historial roots. Popular dishes like vegetarian chicken (made from bean curd sheet) and vegetarian lo mei (made from wheat gluten), serve as early examples.
Chinese Vegan Chicken
Credit: Seriously Asian [2]
Meat analogue, or modern plant-based meats are primarily made from proteins extracted from plants like soybeans, wheat, or peas. The extracted protein undergoes processes like heating, extrusion, and cooling to create a meat-like texture. Additional ingredients and additives, such as flavourings and colourants, are then added to closely mimic the sensory experience of eating animal meat.
The market for plant-based meat alternatives has expanded, offering products like chicken nuggets, burger patties, and deli slices in many restaurants and grocery stores worldwide. The aim is to make these products indistinguishable from their animal-based counterparts in taste and appearance. Innovations, such as using beet juice to simulate the appearance of blood or incorporating coconut oil to mimic the fat and sizzle of meat, enhance the realism of these products. However, it’s worth noting that, despite being plant-based, these meat alternatives can contain high levels of sodium due to the various condiments and additives used to preserve their texture and enhance their flavour, leading to debates about their healthiness compared to conventional meat.
What are Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Made Of and their Protein Source Ingredients?
Plant-based meat alternatives have their basic composition of protein extracted from a series of plants through a complex processes which we will introduce in a later chapter.
In most of the cases, plant-based meat substitutes typically feature a blend of ingredients such as soybeans, various legumes (like chickpeas, lentils, and peas), and proteins derived from grains (including gluten sourced from rice, oats, barley, or wheat).[3]
To achieve a more authentic meat-like appearance and flavour, these products often incorporate natural colourings (such as cumin, carotene, lycopene, and beetroot juice) and a variety of flavourings (including spices, herbs, yeast extract, paprika, sugar, and mushrooms).
Protein sources used in plant-based meat analogue production
Credit: Maja Benković, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb[3]
Legumes as Protein Sources
Protein Content Chart per Legume Types
50g of Protein = 100% of Daily Value (%DV)
Credit: USDA Nutrition Data [4]
Legumes, integral members of the Fabaceae family, are renowned for their exceptional nutritional profile, making them standout choices for both human consumption and as foundational ingredients in plant-based meat alternatives. Characterized by their high protein content, which typically ranges from 20% to 30%, legumes also offer abundant fibre, essential micronutrients, and antioxidants, contributing to their health benefits and functionality in diets. Among the diverse group of legumes, soybeans, lentils, peas, chickpeas, beans, and peanuts are particularly noteworthy.
Taking soybeans as an example, a pivotal legume in East Asian regions. They are integral to the plant-based meat alternative sector, driven by their comprehensive nutritional profile. They are celebrated for their high protein content, alongside significant levels of fats, carbohydrates, dietary fibers, micronutrients, and vitamins. Typically, soybeans contain approximately 35–40% protein, 20% lipids, 9% dietary fiber, and 8.5% moisture, although these figures can vary with different cultivars and growing conditions. Soy’s major beneficial components contribute to its functional properties in various food applications, including meat substitutes, milk alternatives, sauces, and fermented products.
Soy flour, produced by grinding soy flakes, can be full-fat or defatted and represents the least processed form of soy, boasting about 50% protein. Soy protein concentrate and isolate, with approximately 70% and 90% protein content respectively, undergo more complex processing involving alcohol extraction and acidic precipitation, enhancing their protein content.
Oil Seed Proteins
Oil seeds, traditionally prized for their oil content, have recently garnered attention as promising sources of high-quality protein, especially for the burgeoning field of plant-based food production. This newfound interest stems from their potential to be texturized into fibrous structures that closely mimic the texture of meat, offering a sustainable and versatile alternative to traditional meat sources. Notable examples include hemp, sunflower, rapeseed, and sesame proteins, each bringing unique properties and challenges to the table.
Oilseed as Plant-Based Protein Sources
Credit: Amanda Gomes Almeida Sá [5]
Apart from the traditional sunflower protein, as recently emerging new option is hemp protein. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) is recognized for its broad utility across various industries, including food, due to its rich content of vitamins, minerals, fibres, essential amino acids, and fatty acids. Hemp seeds, in particular, are a focus of research for their nutritional value and potential in plant-based meat alternatives. Typically, hemp seeds contain 25-35% fat, 20-25% protein, and 20-30% carbohydrates, predominantly insoluble dietary fibres.
The protein fraction is mainly composed of globulins and albumins, with a structure that favours the creation of meat-like textures post-extrusion. Studies have highlighted hemp protein’s role in forming anisotropic fibrous structures and contributing to dietary phytic acid intake. Despite having lower water solubility and hydration capacity compared to some counterparts, hemp proteins exhibit promising textural properties in extrusion processes, making them suitable for meat analogues. Moreover, their nutritional profile and brown colouration offer additional benefits in formulating plant-based meat products.
Cereals as Source of Protein
Cereal grains like wheat, rice, corn, barley, oats, and millets are integral to human diets worldwide. The protein content in these cereals varies, typically ranging from 7% to 12% by dry weight, with certain varieties or genetically modified species offering higher percentages. However, proteins stem from cereals are not complete, as they usually lack one or more essential amino acids, lysine being the most common deficiency.
How Plant-Based Protein is Extracted to Make Meat Alternative?
As we have had introduced some of the major sources of protein for analog meat and plant-based meat alternatives, this section will aim to explain the processes of how protein is extracted from them regardless of the fact that the method may vary according to the type of plant. The general approach to extracting protein from plant follows a series of steps including isolating the protein, improving its texture, and preparing it for use in meat alternatives and so on.
Raw Material Selection
The first step involves selecting the source of plant-based protein. Different plants offer different nutritional profiles, flavors, and textures. For example, soy and pea proteins are popular for their high protein content and ability to mimic the texture of meat.
Cleaning and Preparation
The selected raw materials are cleaned to remove impurities and prepared for extraction. The process of cealing and preparation may involve dehulling, grinding, or milling to increase the surface area and facilitate the extraction of proteins.
Protein Extraction
Protein extraction can be done using different methods, depending on the plant source and desired protein concentration:
- Solvent Extraction: This method uses solvents like hexane to dissolve the plant fats, leaving behind the protein-rich fractions. It’s commonly used for soy protein extraction.
- Wet Extraction: This involves adding water to the plant material, then using enzymes or alkaline solutions to separate the protein from other components. The mixture is then centrifuged or filtered to separate the protein-rich liquid from the solids.
- Dry Fractionation: This method involves milling the plant material into flour and separating the protein through air classification or sieving. This method is less common but is considered more environmentally friendly.
Protein Concentration and Isolation
The extracted protein solution is then concentrated to remove water and increase the protein content. This can be achieved through evaporation or membrane filtration techniques. The concentrated protein is sometimes further processed to isolate specific protein fractions, which can have differing functional properties suitable for different types of meat alternatives.
Texturizing
Texturizing is the step by which the plant proteins undergo the proceesing to mimic the texture of the meat, which is usually achieved through extrusion where the protein is cooked under high pressure and temperature. Following the step of which they are forced through a die to form fibers or chunks that resemble the fibrous texture of muscle meat. The specific conditions (temperature, pressure, and moisture content) during extrusion can be adjusted to achieve the desired texture.
Flavoring and Coloring
Following the step of texturization, the product can be flavored and colored to mimic specific types of meat. Coloring involves the addition of natural or artificial flavors, spices, and colorants, and the goal which is to create a sensory experience similar to that of eating meat.
Forming and Packaging
The textured, flavored protein is shaped into burgers, sausages, nuggets, or other forms, and then packaged for sale. Packaging processes following the production procedures may include thermoforming, packaging container sealing, secondary and tertiary packaging.
Packging Processes of Plant-Based Meat Alternative Ready Meal
Plant based meat like vegan chicken nuggets, or those shaped in other forms are supposed to go through a series of packaging processes after their production and processing. The packaging processes plays a key rol to prepare them ready for the distribution along the transport and towrads the shelf of grocery.
Popular packaging for ready meals including plastic containers like trays, pots, or tubs, and sometimes can be of various departments where different food ingredient, analog meat, vegetables, sauce can be contined. The pots are then sealed with a slice of plastic film by either heat sealing or cold sealing. After which they are moved for the section of secondary packaging where they will be bundled with banding labels or wrapped by cardboard sleeves, then as goupped packaging within corrugated cases to prepare them for movement along the supply chain.
In this section we introduce the primary packaging machines used along the meat alternative ready meal packaging line, including their sepcifications, functions, types and so forth.
Thermoformers
Thermoformes are a key variety of FFS machines and also defiend as TFFS machines (Thermo-Form-Fill -Seal Machines). For sitautons where the plan-based meat vegan meals are supposed to be loaded by in-line formed plastic trays rather than pre-formed ones, thermoformers will be an indispensable equipment invovled in the packaging line to fulfill the task. During the process a plastic sheet is heated to a pliable forming temperature, formed to a specific shape in a mold, and trimmed to create a usable product.
The process contrasts with injection molding, blow molding, rotational molding, and other forms of molding plastics, which are aimed for pre-formed trays.
Multihead Weighers and Platform
A multihead weight is sometimes a option for filling combined with a thermoformer like that of Multivac. A multihead weigher consists of multiple independently controlled weigh heads, which collectively determine the optimal combination of product pieces to reach a target weight.
The combination of a multihead weigher and a Multivac thermoformer offers a streamlined and highly automated solution, particularly suited for:
- Different types of meals, whether they are frozen, fresh, or shelf-stable
- Varied ingredients, from dry to wet, ensuring they are handled delicately and accurately
- Packaging under modified atmosphere conditions (MAP) to extend shelf life without preservatives
Ishida Multihead Weigher
Credit: Ishida [6]
Tray Sealing Machines
Meal production companies who use pre-formed trays may need a tray sealer following their filling lines to automate the sealing of their packaging containers.
Plastic food tray sealing machines come with functions not only include sealing but also sometimes, as needed, vacuum and gas flush as optional ones with which the machines remove air (vacuum) and inject inert gases into the tray before sealing to enhance product preservation (Modified Atmosphere Packaging, MAP). The sealing chamber is the key component and section of the machine where sealing that heats the film or lid to adhere it securely to the tray and air flushing take place.
Automatic Sleeving Machines & Bulding Machines
Wrapping carton sleeves or applying a thick round of banding label is the most popular secondary packaging used for ready meals. Banding and sleeve are in fact different forms of packaging, however, they serve for the same purpose by providing a surface for branding and product information display and adding to the package the visual appeal thanks to their unique packaging design with their special shape of 2 ends open, different from conventional rigid box packaging.
Sleeving machines are the best match as packaging end-of-line for tray sealing machines.
High-Speed Ready Meal Automatic Sleeving Machine
Credit: ÉLITER Packaging Machinery
Cartoner & Case Packers
Selling large and selling multiple is the ultimate goal when a ready meal business offers delivery services by which the client can order for their weekly or even monthly meal plans. A cartoner or case packer, or somtimes other kinds of case packing equipment, can prepare multiple packages of meat alternative prepared meals into a large box or corrugated cases.
Bibliography
- [1] Improving taste, texture and overly long ingredient lists remain key to growth in the plant-based meat alternative segment, Protein Vision hears, 17-Jun-2022 By Oliver Morriso, Retail sales in western Europe rose 19% to a record €2.4 billion in 2021, according the Good Food Institute, an NGO. But that doesn’t tell the whole picture in different countries, https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2022/06/17/improving-taste-texture-and-overly-long-ingredient-lists-remain-key-to-growth-in-the-plant-based-meat-alternative-segment-protein-vision-hears
- [2] Seriously Asian: Why I’d Rather Eat Vegetarian Chicken than Mediocre Meat, by Chichi Wang, Chichi Wang: Contributing Writer at Serious Eat, Learn about Serious Eats’ Editorial Process Updated May 15, 2019z, https://www.seriouseats.com/vegetarian-chicken-tofu-soybeans-meat-alternatives-asian-grocery-stores
- [3] An Overview of Ingredients Used for Plant-Based Meat Analogue Production and Their Influence on Structural and Textural Properties of the Final Product, Maja Benković, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, Gels 2023, 9(12), 921; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9120921
- [4] Top 10 Beans and Legumes Highest in Protein, Written by Daisy Whitbread, BSc (Hons) MSc DipION, Medically Reviewed by, Dr. Patricia Shelton, Powered by USDA Nutrition Data, Last Updated: February 29th, 2024, https://www.myfooddata.com/articles/beans-legumes-highest-protein.php
- [5] Oilseed by-products as plant-based protein sources: Amino acid profile and digestibility, Amanda Gomes Almeida Sá, Future Foods, Volume 3, June 2021, 100023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2021.100023
- [6] Industrial-leading multihead weighers, Ishida, https://www.ishidaeurope.com/en/products/weighing-machines/multihead-weighers
- [7] What are the differences between plant-based meat alternatives and cultured meat? http://www.eliter-packaging.com/cultured-plant-based-meat
