Food Experience and Sensory Testing (Feast) Lab, School of Food and Advanced Technology, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand.
Statistics Group, School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
Food Res Int. 2024 Jul;188:114465. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114465. Epub 2024 May 6.
Plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) are increasingly popular and may contribute towards reduction of negative environmental impacts associated with the meat industry. Inferior sensory characteristics of PBMAs, compared to conventional meat products, remain a barrier for uptake of these products. This study aimed to profile a wide range of PBMAs for perceived similarity to meat, consumer liking, emotional response and sensory experience, and to determine consumer drivers of liking for this product category. Twenty-one PBMAs, spanning a broad range of product types (burger patties, sausages, meatball alternatives, chicken/beef pieces, bacon alternative, turkey roast alternative) and main protein ingredients (extruded plant proteins, tofu, or legumes/vegetables) representative of PBMAs available to Aotearoa New Zealand consumers, were tasted and evaluated by 140 Aotearoa New Zealand residents. Samples ranged widely in their perceived similarity to meat (median value range: 1.0-4.0 on a 5-point-scale) and overall liking ratings (mean ± SD, range: 35.1 ± 1.2--77.7 ± 17.4 on a 100-point hedonic scale). Overall liking ratings were driven mostly by liking for flavour, followed by texture, and less so by appearance. Sensorially, sample differentiation was mostly associated with variation in meat-related flavours and textures, or vegetable-related attributes. Notably meat flavour was the main driver of liking, and a very strong relationship (r = 0.92) was observed between perceived similarity to meat and overall sample liking ratings. Meat-like samples were also associated with positive emotional terms, whereas samples made from wholefoods were associated with negative emotional terms. Textural terms ('gluey/slimy', 'pasty/doughy') associated with wholefood products were also negative drivers for liking, and should be avoided in future PBMA products. In conclusion, the general population maintains a strong preference for PBMAs that are similar to meat, validating ongoing efforts to improve the meat-like properties of new and emerging products. PBMAs made from wholefoods require extensive product development to achieve consumer satisfaction across the category.
植物肉替代品（PBMAs）越来越受欢迎，可能有助于减少与肉类行业相关的负面环境影响。与传统肉类产品相比，PBMAs 较差的感官特性仍然是消费者接受这些产品的障碍。本研究旨在对广泛的 PBMAs 进行分析，以了解它们与肉类的相似程度、消费者的喜好程度、情感反应和感官体验，并确定消费者对这类产品的喜好驱动因素。21 种 PBMAs，涵盖了广泛的产品类型（汉堡饼、香肠、肉丸替代品、鸡肉/牛肉块、培根替代品、火鸡烤肉替代品）和主要蛋白质成分（挤压植物蛋白、豆腐或豆类/蔬菜），代表了新西兰消费者可获得的 PBMAs，由 140 名新西兰居民品尝和评估。这些样本在其与肉类的感知相似性（5 分制的中位数范围为 1.0-4.0）和整体喜好评分（100 分制的平均值±标准差，范围为 35.1±1.2--77.7±17.4）上差异很大。整体喜好评分主要受风味喜好、其次是质地的影响，而外观的影响较小。感官上，样本的差异主要与与肉类相关的风味和质地的变化，或与蔬菜相关的属性有关。值得注意的是，肉类风味是喜好的主要驱动因素，感知到的与肉类的相似性和整体样本的喜好评分之间存在很强的关系（r=0.92）。类似肉的样本也与积极的情绪术语相关，而由全食品制成的样本则与消极的情绪术语相关。与全食品产品相关的质地术语（“粘稠/粘滑”、“糊状/面团状”）也是喜好的负面驱动因素，在未来的 PBMAs 产品中应避免使用。总的来说，普通人群对与肉类相似的 PBMAs 保持强烈的偏好，这验证了人们正在努力提高新产品和新兴产品的肉类特性。由全食品制成的 PBMAs 需要进行广泛的产品开发，才能在整个类别中满足消费者的需求。
