The future of plant-based foods

Plant-based meat alternatives are front and centre today due to changing perspectives on healthy eating and concerns about environmental sustainability.  Although plant-based foods are predicted to have unprecedented growth, there are still some aspects of the food category that are under debate.

Creating convincing meat, dairy, and egg alternatives is challenging.  The toughest area and the holy grail for research is a successful meat alternative. The challenge? Texture. Flavour, aroma, colour and cooking characteristics can be on point, but the bite and chewiness are not always convincing. However, the increased availability of plant-based ingredients with better flavour, colour, and functionality has supported the development of innovative products that are closer to the foods they mimic. 

NAIT's Centre for Culinary Innovation has established specialized expertise in the area of plant-based foods because our research partners  want to develop new products and evaluate the functionality of plant-based ingredients in culinary applications.