Life cycle assessment of animal-based foods and plant-based protein-rich alternatives: an environmental perspective

BACKGROUND In the European Union proteins for food are largely animal based, consisting of meat and dairy products. Almost all soy but also a larger part of pulses and cereals consumed in the European Union are used for animal nutrition. While livestock is an important source of proteins, it also cr...

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Autores principales: Detzel, A., Kruger, M., Busch, M., Blanco Gutiérrez, I., Varela Ortega, C., Manners, Rhys, Bez, J., Zannini, E.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Wiley 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114877
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author Detzel, A.
Kruger, M.
Busch, M.
Blanco Gutiérrez, I.
Varela Ortega, C.
Manners, Rhys
Bez, J.
Zannini, E.
author_browse Bez, J.
Blanco Gutiérrez, I.
Busch, M.
Detzel, A.
Kruger, M.
Manners, Rhys
Varela Ortega, C.
Zannini, E.
author_facet Detzel, A.
Kruger, M.
Busch, M.
Blanco Gutiérrez, I.
Varela Ortega, C.
Manners, Rhys
Bez, J.
Zannini, E.
author_sort Detzel, A.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description BACKGROUND In the European Union proteins for food are largely animal based, consisting of meat and dairy products. Almost all soy but also a larger part of pulses and cereals consumed in the European Union are used for animal nutrition. While livestock is an important source of proteins, it also creates substantial environmental impacts. The food and feed system is closely linked to the planetary and health boundaries and a transformation to healthy diets will require substantial dietary shifts towards healthy foods, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables and legumes. RESULTS Extrudated vegetable meat alternatives consisting of protein combined with amaranth or buckwheat flour and a vegetable milk alternative made from lentil proteins were shown to have the potential to generate significantly less environmental impact than their animal-based counterparts in most of the environmental indicators examined, taking into account both functional units (mass and protein content). The underlying field-to-fork life cycle assessment models include several variants for both plant and animal foods. The optimized plant-based foods show a clear potential for improvement in the environmental footprints. CONCLUSIONS Development of higher processed and therefore higher performing products is crucial for appealing to potential user groups beyond dedicated vegetarians and vegans and ultimately achieving market expansion. The Protein2Food project showed that prototypes made from European-grown legumes and pseudocereals are a valuable source for high-quality protein foods, and despite being substantially processed they could help reduce the environmental impact of food consumption. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
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spelling CGSpace1148772024-05-01T08:19:24Z Life cycle assessment of animal-based foods and plant-based protein-rich alternatives: an environmental perspective Detzel, A. Kruger, M. Busch, M. Blanco Gutiérrez, I. Varela Ortega, C. Manners, Rhys Bez, J. Zannini, E. proteins food nutrition food consumption life cycle meat substitutes milk substitutes BACKGROUND In the European Union proteins for food are largely animal based, consisting of meat and dairy products. Almost all soy but also a larger part of pulses and cereals consumed in the European Union are used for animal nutrition. While livestock is an important source of proteins, it also creates substantial environmental impacts. The food and feed system is closely linked to the planetary and health boundaries and a transformation to healthy diets will require substantial dietary shifts towards healthy foods, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables and legumes. RESULTS Extrudated vegetable meat alternatives consisting of protein combined with amaranth or buckwheat flour and a vegetable milk alternative made from lentil proteins were shown to have the potential to generate significantly less environmental impact than their animal-based counterparts in most of the environmental indicators examined, taking into account both functional units (mass and protein content). The underlying field-to-fork life cycle assessment models include several variants for both plant and animal foods. The optimized plant-based foods show a clear potential for improvement in the environmental footprints. CONCLUSIONS Development of higher processed and therefore higher performing products is crucial for appealing to potential user groups beyond dedicated vegetarians and vegans and ultimately achieving market expansion. The Protein2Food project showed that prototypes made from European-grown legumes and pseudocereals are a valuable source for high-quality protein foods, and despite being substantially processed they could help reduce the environmental impact of food consumption. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. 2022-09 2021-09-06T11:11:26Z 2021-09-06T11:11:26Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114877 en Limited Access Wiley Detzel, A., Krüger, M., Busch, M., Blanco‐Gutiérrez, I., Varela, C., Manners, R., ... & Zannini, E. (2021). Life cycle assessment of animal‐based foods and plant‐based protein‐rich alternatives: an environmental perspective. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 1-13.
spellingShingle proteins
food
nutrition
food consumption
life cycle
meat substitutes
milk substitutes
Detzel, A.
Kruger, M.
Busch, M.
Blanco Gutiérrez, I.
Varela Ortega, C.
Manners, Rhys
Bez, J.
Zannini, E.
Life cycle assessment of animal-based foods and plant-based protein-rich alternatives: an environmental perspective
title Life cycle assessment of animal-based foods and plant-based protein-rich alternatives: an environmental perspective
title_full Life cycle assessment of animal-based foods and plant-based protein-rich alternatives: an environmental perspective
title_fullStr Life cycle assessment of animal-based foods and plant-based protein-rich alternatives: an environmental perspective
title_full_unstemmed Life cycle assessment of animal-based foods and plant-based protein-rich alternatives: an environmental perspective
title_short Life cycle assessment of animal-based foods and plant-based protein-rich alternatives: an environmental perspective
title_sort life cycle assessment of animal based foods and plant based protein rich alternatives an environmental perspective
topic proteins
food
nutrition
food consumption
life cycle
meat substitutes
milk substitutes
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114877
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