Plant Based Meat Alternatives- Testing considerations

With the rise of plant-based meats in the market, the team at Columbia Labs has compiled key considerations for safety and quality testing:

• Plant-based ingredients have different levels and forms of macronutrients than their animal counterparts
  • Carbohydrates in milk is lactose, in meat is glycogen and in pea its soy.
  • These different components affect spoilage rates.
  • Test for nutrient compositions and product-specific shelf life.
• The variety of ingredients making up in plant-based foods can bring different microbial loads.
  • This includes ingredients with high micro loads such as yeast extract and spices.
• The U.S. recommendations governing best practices for plant-based foods and animal-based meats differ (FDA and USDA, respectively).
  • Temps of 145-165°F was shown to kill Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens at equal rates in beef- and plant-based burgers
  • This suggests cooking guidance for animal products could be applicable to plant-based analogs.

• Environment and processing technologies must be considered for contaminant introduction
  • Ground or formed products (i.e. products with additional handling) will have higher microbial counts than “cut” products.

• Ingredients are often tested for antimicrobial and ingredient efficacy and product shelf-life in a lab environment. This may not correctly mimic the specific production environment factors that are impacting a plant-based meat alternative’s ability to meet its shelf-life and safety goals.
• Environmental Monitoring testing is recommended for all food manufacturing processes.

For more information on testing plant-based meat alternatives, micro contaminants and environmental monitoring, please email: info@columbialaboratories.com