Abstract: In recent years, with people’s increasing attention to sustainable development factors such as resources and environment, plant-based meat has been developed rapidly. Plant-based meat not only has the advantages of high protein content, no cholesterol, and no antibiotics, but also is favored by consumers for its low saturated fat content, rich dietary fiber, and environmental friendliness. However, as plant-based meat grows rapidly, its nutritional characteristics and safety have drawn increasing attention. In modern processing technologies for plant-based meat, such as extrusion, high temperature and pressure conditions affect protein digestibility and absorbability, and may also generate potential risk factors, such as acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. In order to ensure the healthy development of the plant-based meat industry, it is important to understand the nutritional characteristics of plant-based meat and possible risk factors. In this article, we review recent studies on the nutritional changes and safety of plant-based meat during processing. We analyze the factors affecting the protein digestibility of plant-based meat and summarize its safety risks during processing, with a view to providing strong support for optimizing the processing conditions of plant-based meat.

Key words: plant-based meat; extrusion; nutrition; digestibility; safety