Food Analogues: Emerging Methods and Challenges

As vegetarian and vegan diets have taken hold across the Western world in recent years, the food industry has in turn seen a burgeoning demand for plant-based substitutes, known as analogues. Consumers are hungry for a product that aligns with their values, meets their nutritional needs, and also delivers on its promise of simulating the qualities of its target food item, be that beef, chicken, egg or dairy. Researchers are thus continually working to more closely approximate not only the taste but also the aesthetic, textural and rheological properties of the food item they are imitating. Meanwhile, questions about the nutritional content and environmental impact of food analogues are also of major interest for conscious consumers. While existing volumes have covered specific analogues such as meat or dairy, Food Analogues: Emerging Methods and Challenges will be the first to offer an authoritative overview of all food analogues and comprehensively assess the current and future state of the industry. This text covers both the fundamental processes of textural manipulation and sensory evaluation as well as the microbiological and regulatory aspects of these plant-based substitutes. Looking towards the future of food analogue technology, it will also discuss promising new approaches such as the use of 3D printing and edible insects in analogue production. This book will be of value to researchers, manufacturers, regulators, nutritionists, and even consumers themselves, seeking to make more informed decisions about their diets.