New project aims towards more sustainable plant-based foods

Society has a significant need for a more climate-smart food consumption. One of the most effective measures to achieve this is to replace products based on animal protein with products made from plant-based protein. There is also an increased interest in healthier diets among the population, and from a health perspective, it is beneficial to consume more plant-based products.

“The goal of this study is to contribute to healthier plant-based foods by developing and testing new low salt containing pea protein ingredients,” says Joshua Mayers, researcher at RISE and work package manager in the FINEST project. Salt (i.e., sodium) consumption is remarkably high in Sweden and needs to be addressed across different product categories, in particular vegan meat alternative products, in which salt content is extremely high. We will also look at reducing the content of key anti-nutrients in these ingredients to make sure aspects such as mineral availability are not compromised. The whole value chain will be examined, from optimization of the ingredient production, to sensory and consumer studies of both the ingredients and their use in complete meals. There will also be an assessment of the process and products on a life-cycle footprint and societal level to ensure sustainable process and product development. This is the multidisciplinary approach needed to make sure that the long-term benefits of the shift to a plant-based diet are actually realized. We will also work closely with commercial and public partners at all stages of the project, including Lantmännen, LiveKindly Collective, Livsmedelsföretagen, and Jönköping Kommun.”

Challenges connected to food based on plant based proteins

There are problems associated with food products based on plant proteins because they often have a high salt content (sodium chloride). One reason is that sodium containing process additives are commonly used in the production of the protein isolates that are the main ingredient in plant protein-based foods. Another reason is that additional salt is often added for the products to taste good and thus appeal to consumers. The high salt content is a problem because we already consume too much salt in Sweden, approximately twice as much as recommended by the Swedish Food Agency. Excessive salt intake can lead to high blood pressure and cause many serious diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes. The high salt intake not only has consequences for public health but also places an economic burden on society in the form of significant healthcare costs. Therefore, there is a strong need to reduce the population's salt intake.

Another problem with plant proteins is that they can contain antinutrients, substances that hinder the absorption of essential nutrients. One such substance is phytic acid, which inhibits the body's uptake of several minerals, such as iron, zinc, and calcium. This is a particularly critical issue for women in the case of iron and could exasperate anaemia if the diet is rich in phytate containing materials.

Process and ingredient development – a key part of the project

“It’s a very ambitious study with impacts in a lot of different areas,” says Joshua Mayers. “A key part of the project is process and ingredient development, which will generate healthier ingredients for the vegan protein market that we hope will have a lot of applications, but also importantly the process needs to be efficient and sustainable which will also be assessed. We also hope to increase our understanding of the interactions between minerals with the proteins themselves, as well as anti-nutrients compounds such as phytic acid (fytinsyra), which will help refine the process further for peas and other plant-based ingredients. There is also some important work to deal with palatability and consumer-liking for reduced salt ingredients and food products, and we will investigate what strategies or ingredients can be used to make sure the meals are tasty and attractive. We hope to develop some guidelines that will help those working with meal preparation towards decreasing salt addition, especially in the vegan and vegetarian categories.”

The project is based on research and knowledge from previous research projects at RISE concerning salt reduction (Redusalt) and plant-based proteins (Like Meat, Give Peas A Chance, Finest, and GoaProteiner) and will work alongside other FINEST researchers Jun Niimi and Edoardo Desiderio, as well as RISE colleague Tim Nielsen, Niklas Lorén and Marta Angela Bianchi.