{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,29]],"date-time":"2026-08-29T08:27:14Z","timestamp":1787992034651,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,19]],"date-time":"2024-07-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1721347200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"v2food\u00ae pty Ltd."}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The nutritional quality of plant-based meat analogues compared to traditional meat products has been questioned in recent commentary, particularly in relation to protein quality and micronutrient bioavailability. However, the attributes of specific products within this category are unclear. We therefore undertook a comprehensive assessment of the compositional and functional attributes of v2food\u00ae (Sydney, Australia) plant-based mince, including an assessment of the effects of reformulation, including the addition of amino acids, ascorbic acid, and different forms of elemental iron. The protein digestibility and protein quality of v2food\u00ae plant-based mince were comparable to beef mince in the standardized INFOGEST system, and favourable effects on microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production were demonstrated in an in vitro digestion system. The use of ferrous sulphate as an iron source improved in vitro intestinal iron absorption by ~50% in comparison to other forms of iron (p &lt; 0.05), although levels were ~3-fold lower than beef mince, even in the presence of ascorbic acid. In conclusion, the current study identified some favourable nutritional attributes of plant-based v2food\u00ae mince, specifically microbiota and SCFA changes, as well as other areas where further reformulation could be considered to further enhance the bioavailability of key nutrients. Further studies to assess the effect of plant-based meat analogues on health measures in vivo will be important to improve knowledge in this area.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu16142339","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,19]],"date-time":"2024-07-19T15:15:19Z","timestamp":1721402119000},"page":"2339","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Assessing the Protein Quality, In Vitro Intestinal Iron Absorption and Human Faecal Microbiota Impacts of Plant-Based Mince"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Damien P.","family":"Belobrajdic","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Health and Biosecurity, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia"},{"name":"College of Medicine and Public Health, Health Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Simone","family":"Osborne","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Brisbane, QLD 4067, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Conlon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health and Biosecurity, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Henri","family":"Brook","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health and Biosecurity, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rama","family":"Addepalli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Agriculture and Food, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Brisbane, QLD 4067, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Beverly S.","family":"Muhlhausler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health and Biosecurity, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia"},{"name":"School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia"},{"name":"South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ko\u0142odziejczak, K., Onopiuk, A., Szpicer, A., and Poltorak, A. (2022). Meat Analogues in the Perspective of Recent Scientific Research: A Review. Foods, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods11010105"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Muhlhausler, B.S., Belobrajdic, D., Wymond, B., and Benassi-Evans, B. (2022). Assessing the Effect of Plant-Based Mince on Fullness and Post-Prandial Satiety in Healthy Male Subjects. Nutrients, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14245326"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fayet-Moore, F., Cassettari, T., Tuck, K., McConnell, A., and Petocz, P. (2018). Dietary Fibre Intake in Australia. Paper I: Associations with Demographic, Socio-Economic, and Anthropometric Factors. Nutrients, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu10050599"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"423","DOI":"10.3920\/BM2010.0041","article-title":"Resistant starch, large bowel fermentation and a broader perspective of prebiotics and probiotics","volume":"1","author":"Bird","year":"2010","journal-title":"Benef. Microbes"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"718","DOI":"10.1038\/ajg.2013.63","article-title":"Fiber and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders","volume":"108","author":"Eswaran","year":"2013","journal-title":"Am. J. Gastroenterol."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Toribio-Mateas, M.A., Bester, A., and Klimenko, N. (2021). Impact of Plant-Based Meat Alternatives on the Gut Microbiota of Consumers: A Real-World Study. Foods, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/foods10092040"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"301","DOI":"10.1038\/s41575-023-00891-z","article-title":"Effects of dietary fibre on metabolic health and obesity","volume":"21","author":"Deehan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"197","DOI":"10.1093\/nutrit\/nuy073","article-title":"Maximizing the intersection of human health and the health of the environment with regard to the amount and type of protein produced and consumed in the United States","volume":"77","author":"Gardner","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nutr. Rev."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Latunde-Dada, G.O., Kajarabille, N., Rose, S., Arafsha, S.M., Kose, T., Aslam, M.F., Hall, W.L., and Sharp, P.A. (2023). Content and Availability of Minerals in Plant-Based Burgers Compared with a Meat Burger. Nutrients, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu15122732"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"109708","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2020.109708","article-title":"Compared digestibility of plant protein isolates by using the INFOGEST digestion protocol","volume":"137","author":"Alfieri","year":"2020","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_11","first-page":"118","article-title":"Protein\u2014Which is Best?","volume":"3","author":"Hoffman","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Sport. Sci. Med."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hertzler, S.R., Lieblein-Boff, J.C., Weiler, M., and Allgeier, C. (2020). Plant Proteins: Assessing Their Nutritional Quality and Effects on Health and Physical Function. Nutrients, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu12123704"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S7","DOI":"10.5694\/mja11.11492","article-title":"Protein and vegetarian diets","volume":"199","author":"Marsh","year":"2013","journal-title":"Med. J. Aust."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mayer Labba, I.-C., Steinhausen, H., Almius, L., Bach Knudsen, K.E., and Sandberg, A.-S. (2022). Nutritional Composition and Estimated Iron and Zinc Bioavailability of Meat Substitutes Available on the Swedish Market. Nutrients, 14.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu14193903"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20441","DOI":"10.1021\/acsomega.2c01833","article-title":"Iron Absorption: Factors, Limitations, and Improvement Methods","volume":"7","author":"Piskin","year":"2022","journal-title":"ACS Omega"},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"(2024, June 11). v2Food. Cooking with v2. Available online: https:\/\/v2food.com\/cooking."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"991","DOI":"10.1038\/s41596-018-0119-1","article-title":"INFOGEST static in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal food digestion","volume":"14","author":"Brodkorb","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nat. Protoc."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134720","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2022.134720","article-title":"In vitro digestibility of dietary proteins and in vitro DIAAS analytical workflow based on the INFOGEST static protocol and its validation with in vivo data","volume":"404","author":"Sousa","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Chem."},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"FAO (2013). Dietary Protein Quality Evaluation in Human Nutrition, FAO. Report of an FAQ Expert Consultation; FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 92."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1730","DOI":"10.1039\/C6FO90009G","article-title":"Dietary polysaccharides and polyphenols can promote health by influencing gut microbiota populations","volume":"7","author":"Conlon","year":"2016","journal-title":"Food Funct."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"364","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2017.04.024","article-title":"Effects of the combination of \u03c9-3 PUFAs and proanthocyanidins on the gut microbiota of healthy rats","volume":"97","author":"Hereu","year":"2017","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shi, M., Watson, E., Conlon, M., Sanguansri, L., and Augustin, M.A. (2022). Impact of Co-Delivery of EGCG and Tuna Oil within a Broccoli Matrix on Human Gut Microbiota, Phenolic Metabolites and Short Chain Fatty Acids In Vitro. Molecules, 27.","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules27030656"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"335","DOI":"10.1038\/nmeth.f.303","article-title":"QIIME allows analysis of high-throughput community sequencing data","volume":"7","author":"Caporaso","year":"2010","journal-title":"Nat. Methods"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2460","DOI":"10.1093\/bioinformatics\/btq461","article-title":"Search and clustering orders of magnitude faster than BLAST","volume":"26","author":"Edgar","year":"2010","journal-title":"Bioinformatics"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"996","DOI":"10.1038\/nmeth.2604","article-title":"UPARSE: Highly accurate OTU sequences from microbial amplicon reads","volume":"10","author":"Edgar","year":"2013","journal-title":"Nat. Methods"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112336","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2022.112336","article-title":"Nutritional and techno-functional properties of Australian Acacia seed flour: Effects of roasting on chemical composition, physicochemical properties, and in vitro digestibility and intestinal iron absorption","volume":"164","author":"Adiamo","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fusco, W., Lorenzo, M.B., Cintoni, M., Porcari, S., Rinninella, E., Kaitsas, F., Lener, E., Mele, M.C., Gasbarrini, A., and Collado, M.C. (2023). Short-Chain Fatty-Acid-Producing Bacteria: Key Components of the Human Gut Microbiota. Nutrients, 15.","DOI":"10.3390\/nu15092211"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"461","DOI":"10.1007\/s00394-021-02658-1","article-title":"Digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS) is greater in animal-based burgers than in plant-based burgers if determined in pigs","volume":"61","author":"Fanelli","year":"2022","journal-title":"Eur. J. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112569","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2023.112569","article-title":"Comparison of in vitro digestibility and DIAAR between vegan and meat burgers before and after grilling","volume":"166","author":"Sousa","year":"2023","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101043","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cofs.2023.101043","article-title":"Insights into protein digestion in plant-based meat analogs","volume":"52","author":"Shan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Curr. Opin. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"230","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02582182","article-title":"Effect of temperature on soybean seed constituents: Oil, protein, moisture, fatty acids, amino acids and sugars","volume":"59","author":"Wolf","year":"1982","journal-title":"J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tifs.2019.08.022","article-title":"Pulses and food security: Dietary protein, digestibility, bioactive and functional properties","volume":"93","author":"Bessada","year":"2019","journal-title":"Trends Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"306","DOI":"10.1038\/ejcn.2015.144","article-title":"Plasma concentrations and intakes of amino acids in male meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians and vegans: A cross-sectional analysis in the EPIC-Oxford cohort","volume":"70","author":"Schmidt","year":"2016","journal-title":"Eur. J. Clin. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"233","article-title":"A Look at Plant-Based Diets","volume":"118","author":"Clem","year":"2021","journal-title":"Mo Med."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Di Costanzo, M., De Paulis, N., and Biasucci, G. (2021). Butyrate: A Link between Early Life Nutrition and Gut Microbiome in the Development of Food Allergy. Life, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/life11050384"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.3390\/nu7010017","article-title":"The impact of diet and lifestyle on gut microbiota and human health","volume":"7","author":"Conlon","year":"2014","journal-title":"Nutrients"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104344","DOI":"10.1016\/j.micpath.2020.104344","article-title":"The critical role of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in human health: An overview","volume":"149","author":"Leylabadlo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Microb. Pathog."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131","DOI":"10.1017\/S0007114519000680","article-title":"Gut Prevotella as a possible biomarker of diet and its eubiotic versus dysbiotic roles: A comprehensive literature review","volume":"122","author":"Precup","year":"2019","journal-title":"Br. J. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Parker, B.J., Wearsch, P.A., Veloo, A.C.M., and Rodriguez-Palacios, A. (2020). The Genus Alistipes: Gut Bacteria With Emerging Implications to Inflammation, Cancer, and Mental Health. Front. Immunol., 11.","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2020.00906"},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3307","DOI":"10.2147\/IDR.S321282","article-title":"Eggerthella lenta Bacteremia in a Middle-Aged Healthy Man with Acute Hepatic Abscess: Case Report and Literature Review, 1970\u20132020","volume":"14","author":"Wang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Infect. Drug Resist."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9364","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-66369-z","article-title":"High Oscillospira abundance indicates constipation and low BMI in the Guangdong Gut Microbiome Project","volume":"10","author":"Chen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1080\/19490976.2017.1406584","article-title":"Low dietary fiber intake increases Collinsella abundance in the gut microbiota of overweight and obese pregnant women","volume":"9","author":"Barrett","year":"2018","journal-title":"Gut Microbes"},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"569","DOI":"10.1080\/19490976.2019.1681861","article-title":"Lower gut microbiome diversity and higher abundance of proinflammatory genus Collinsella are associated with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic steatohepatitis","volume":"11","author":"Astbury","year":"2020","journal-title":"Gut Microbes"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"McClements, D.J., and Decker, E.A. (2009). 13\u2014The use of Caco-2 cells in defining nutrient bioavailability: Application to iron bioavailability of foods. Designing Functional Foods, Woodhead Publishing.","DOI":"10.1533\/9781845696603"},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1024\/0300-9831.77.3.166","article-title":"Linking the bioavailability of iron compounds to the efficacy of iron-fortified foods","volume":"77","author":"Hurrell","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int. J. Vitam. Nutr. Res."}],"container-title":["Nutrients"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/16\/14\/2339\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T15:19:59Z","timestamp":1760109599000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/16\/14\/2339"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,19]]},"references-count":45,"journal-issue":{"issue":"14","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,7]]}},"alternative-id":["nu16142339"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu16142339","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-6643"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-6643","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,7,19]]}}}