Abstract: With the continuous growth of the global population and the increasing disparity between food supply and demand, the rising demand for meat consumption has placed additional pressure on the environmental protection of agricultural resources. In recent years, plant-based meat products have emerged as alternative protein sources and have sparked considerable interest due to their nutritional attributes. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent progress on plant-based meat, with a particular focus on its nutritional value and digestive properties. A comparative analysis between meat and its plant-based analogs is presented, highlighting the differences in their components including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The effects of plant-based meat on gastrointestinal digestion and its health benefits are also discussed. This review aims to furnish consumers with a thorough understanding of the nutritional value and digestive properties of plant-based meat and to provide a reference for the sustainable development of the plant-based meat industry.

Key words: plant-based meat; nutrition; digestion; ultra-processing