Advancing Quality Characterization Methods for Plant-Based Food Alternatives

The field of plant-based foods has garnered significant attention as a sustainable alternative to traditional animal-based products. With the global population on the rise and the environmental and public health concerns associated with high consumption rates of animal products, there is a growing consumer interest in reducing dietary intake of animal-based foods. This shift in consumer behavior has spurred extensive research and development efforts within the food industry to enhance the quality of plant-based foods. Recent studies have focused on improving the physicochemical properties, textural and sensory performance, and nutritional profiles of plant-based analogues such as meat, fish, eggs, milk, and cheese. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in designing plant-based foods that meet consumer expectations in terms of appearance, composition, texture, flavor, and functionality. Additionally, there is a need for standardized methods to analyze and characterize these properties effectively.

This research topic aims to provide a comprehensive selection of methods for characterizing the quality of plant-based food products intended to serve as alternatives to animal-derived products. The primary objectives include the development and implementation of new and advanced experimental tools and techniques to evaluate various quality attributes of plant-based foods. Specific questions to be addressed include how to accurately measure and replicate the sensory and nutritional properties of these products to match consumer preferences and acceptability.

To gather further insights into the quality characterization of plant-based foods, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Appearance

- Texture

- Mouthfeel

- Microstructure

- Flavor

- Digestibility

- Nutritional value

- Storage stability

This research topic invites submissions of various article types including original research articles, research reviews, and brief communications, to advance the understanding and development of high-quality plant-based food products.

Keywords: Plant based alternatives, Alternative proteins, Food characterization, Appearance, Texture, Flavor, Sensory, Digestibility

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.