In a presentation at Food Ingredients Europe 2023, Marjolijn Bragt, the programme manager for nutrition for optimal health at Wageningen Food and Biobased Research, emphasized the often-overlooked aspects of nutrition and health in the development of plant-based alternatives. Bragt argued that plant-based drinks significantly differ from traditional dairy products, with lower nutritional content, quality, and increased processing. Despite these differences, she suggested the importance of conducting more research to understand the health implications of incorporating plant-based products into daily diets. Bragt acknowledged the potential benefits of reducing meat consumption and increasing plant-based food intake for both health and the planet but highlighted the need for improvement in the nutritional quality of plant-based offerings. The report further discussed variations in protein quantity and quality between plant-based and animal sources, emphasizing the challenges in achieving nutritional equivalence. Additionally, Bragt addressed the impact of processing on protein digestibility and highlighted the importance of considering individual responses in future research to optimize amino acid uptake.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8912699/
