Molecular properties of plant-based proteins for alternative protein

Alternative proteins, or alt proteins, are proteins obtained from non-animal sources like plant sources, meat cultured in labs, and other sources like fungi and insects. These contain a variety of benefits and are gaining popularity worldwide. Some chronic diseases require a low-red-meat diet, which can be fulfilled through alternative proteins, providing similar benefits to those of animal-based proteins. This chapter deals with the sustainability aspect of using alternative proteins. A sustainable protein refers to a protein that is efficient in terms of health benefits, taste, environmental impact, affordability, etc., which makes it sustainable in the market, i.e., being able to be used for a long time without depleting any resources. This sustainability aspect makes them an attractive option for addressing global food security challenges. There are several health and nutrient benefits of alternative proteins over the traditional methods. Traditional proteins raise a lot of concerns like greenhouse gas emissions, animal welfare, and vulnerability to diseases and antibiotic resistance. From the production, where less land, water, and soil are being used, to the nutrient values that can be fortified based on the requirements, this possesses the properties of a high-value-added product. The sustainability of the product can be tested through life impact assessment, where the complete process from scratch is analyzed to come to the conclusion about its environmental footprint. Consumers today appeal to the taste factor, health factor, source of the protein, etc. There are lots of cultures and ethnicities where the use of alternative proteins is being done on a regular basis, for example, the consumption of insects in Southeast Asia as a part of celebration, the consumption of legumes in South Asian countries, etc., where the market for this is better. Also, with trending veganism and many people switching to plant-based products, the consumer impact is growing day by day, which is also analyzed with surveys and case studies in this chapter with respect to alternative proteins. Today's population growth and climatic changes exert great pressure on traditional methods to sustain the varying environmental conditions and maintain food security. This can be overcome through the means of alternative proteins that use late technologies such as high-pressure processing (HPP), pulse electric field (PEF) technology, precision fermentation, and 3D printing, which not only improve the food quality but also provide efficient production, adding to the economy. Further, the chapter also addresses issues such as socio-economic sustainability and global initiatives that have been taken or have to be taken and about animal welfare, as animal slaughtering is not involved. Despite having all these advantages, this might still possess some challenges, such as consumer acceptance, cost competitiveness, regulatory barriers, market competition, supply chain complexity, and exceptional nutritional parity. The chapter concludes by emphasizing the need for global collaboration, promoting consumer education, strategic marketing, advanced production, and efforts among stakeholders to help facilitate the widespread use of alternative proteins.