Analysis of ingredient list and nutrient composition of plant-based burgers available in the global market

Abstract

The nutrient composition of plant-based burgers is a key factor when making their purchase/consumption decision to maintain a balanced diet. For this reason, ingredient list and nutritional information of burgers launched in the global market were retrieved from their labels. Products were classified based on the technology development, market position and region of the manufacturer. From the ingredient analysis, we observed a high heterogeneity in the ingredients used, a predominance of soy and wheat as main sources of proteins, and the increasing use of new protein sources (e.g. peas, other types of beans and pseudo-cereals). Oil was the most cited ingredient followed by salt. Nutritional composition varied mainly depending on the region with no clear pattern among countries. To less extent, technology development resulted in traditional products with lower amounts of protein and higher amounts of carbohydrates. Vegan and vegetarian products showed limited differences due to the high intra-heterogenicity.

Keywords:

• Vegan
• vegetarian
• plant proteins
• meat substitutes
• nutrition
• market position

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was carried out in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be interpreted as potential conflicts of interest.

Data availability statement

Data is contained within the article or Supplementary Material (Tables S1 and S2).

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank the Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement (CAPES), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support in the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) for granting the Brazilian researchers Paula Albuquerque Penna Franca and Anna Paola Trindade Rocha Pierucci.