How do we eat meat – the role of structure, mechanics, oral processing, and sensory perception in designing meat analogs

Abstract

This study provides an overview of over 50 publications exploring the consumers' motives for choosing meat analogs over real meat, how they perceive them, and what can be learned from meat structure, mechanics, oral processing, and dynamic sensory analysis for meat analog design. Meat analogs' sensory perception is their main lack, while ethics, health, and environmental statements might be used to boost their promotion. Methods for meat structure and mechanics' analysis are well established and translated (to some degree) to meat analog's quality analysis. However, limited information is present concerning meat and meat analogs' oral processing and dynamic perception, which can be seen as a chance for future research and improvement.