The functional role of soy in the transition towards healthier and more sustainable meat substitutes: plant-based soy Bolognese sauce as case study

Globally, there is an increasing concern regarding the negative impact of meat overconsumption both on environment and human health. Meat, and particularly meat from ruminants, represents a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), including carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄), which are among the main drivers of climate change. Meat production is also responsible for excessive consumption of water resources and for the eutrophication of aquatic systems because of the abuse of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers for feed production. Moreover, it is a major driver of deforestation and worldwide biodiversity loss. However, the excessive consumption of animal-based products is not only harmful to our planet but is also emerged to be associated to the rising incidence of preterm mortality and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, cardiovascular diseases as well as type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The sum of these factors highlights the need to incentivize the transition towards healthier and more sustainable meat alternatives. In this regard, soy and soy-based products have received increasing attention as they exert a wide number of biological functions due to the activity of its bioactive compounds, including isoflavones, saponins, fibres, unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), vitamins, minerals and in particular proteins and peptides, which have emerged to have anti-hypertensive, hypo-cholesterolemic, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities, among others. Soy is also turned out to play a role in the modulation of gut microbiota by increasing the number of probiotics, mainly belonging to the genera of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Through the thesis, a soy-based Bolognese sauce characterized by the substitution of animal-based proteins with healthier and sustainable texturized soy proteins (TSP) was analysed as case study. The business plan, the SWOT analysis and the sensorial analysis of the product designed were also part of the study, with the aim of evaluating its market potential and its target segments as well as assessing the consumer acceptability and willingness to shift towards plant-based meat substitutes.