A Study on the Nutritional Quality and Health Impact of Alternative Protein

The growing global demand for sustainable food systems has driven research into alternative proteins as substitutes for conventional animal-based proteins.Unlike traditional proteins, alternative proteins include a variety of categories, such as plant-based proteins, insect proteins, and cultured meat, each with distinct nutritional, environmental, and functional characteristics.This study reviews recent findings on the nutritional quality, health effects, and safety issues of plant-based, edible insects, and cultivated meat alternative proteins.Among plant-based proteins, rice and pea proteins exhibit favorable essential amino acid compositions, including comparable histidine levels to those in meat and eggs, although they may pose potential allergy risks.Insect proteins have complete amino acid profiles, are rich in micronutrients such as unsaturated fatty acids and B vitamins, and show high environmental effectiveness.However, allergy risk and public dislike remain barriers to widespread acceptance, highlighting the need for risk assessment and public education.Cultured meat has significant potential because it can replicate the characteristics of conventional meat and replace harmful components with beneficial ones.Nevertheless, microbial contamination, residual growth media components, high production costs, and the lack of common standards continue to slow down commercialization.Overall, alternative proteins are widely regarded as a promising and sustainable solution to global food security challenges.Therefore, this study contributes to the academic understanding of alternative proteins by examining their multifaceted aspects, which are vital resources for changing future food production and consumption paradigms.