Nutrient Equivalence of Plant-Based and Cultured Meat: Gaps, Bioavailability, and Health Perspectives

Meat provides high-quality protein and essential micronutrients such as vitamin B12, heme iron, zinc, and selenium, along with conditionally essential compounds including creatine, carnitine, and taurine. Growing concerns over environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and potential health risks associated with excessive meat consumption have spurred the development of plant-based and cultured alternatives intended to replicate the nutritional and sensory attributes of meat. This review critically examines the extent to which these emerging products achieve nutrient equivalence with conventional meat, focusing on essential and conditionally essential nutrients, their bioavailability, and implications for human health. After outlining the physiological importance of nutrients characteristically supplied by meat, the review compares the composition of plant-based meat analogs (PBMAs) and cultured meat prototypes. Differences in fortification strategies, ingredient formulation, and the presence of anti-nutritional factors are discussed in relation to nutrient absorption and utilization. Current PBMAs can approximate protein content but generally provide lower levels and reduced bioavailability of vitamin B12, heme iron, creatine, taurine, and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids unless fortified. Cultured meat offers theoretical potential for compositional optimization through cellular engineering but remains limited by scarce empirical data. Achieving nutrient equivalence with conventional meat thus represents a major scientific, technological, and regulatory challenge. Future progress will depend on integrating nutritional design into product development, validating bioavailability in human studies, and implementing transparent labeling to ensure that next-generation meat alternatives meet both health and sustainability goals.