Health Impacts of Sustainable Ingredient Selection in the Food and Drink Industry - ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN STUDY

Summary This research will examine the nutritional effects of supplementing diets with alternative plant sources of protein with potential to be grown in Scotland. In particular, we will assess the potential of these plant protein sources to complement diets in which the predominant source of protein is meat. These protein sources will include plants from the Fabaceae, Cannabaceae and Polygonaceae families, which could be used as the basis for the development of new foods. The research will assess if these plant proteins can deliver a comparable alternative to meat based diets. It is anticipated that the results could encourage increased consumption of plant products which would be favorable for consumers shifting away from animal-derived proteins for health and/or environmental reasons. Hypothesis: Consumption of protein rich plants could be a sustainable and healthy choice for partial replacement in predominantly meat based diets. Objective: The objective of this acute study is to assess satiety, postprandial effects, metabolite bioavailability and metabolism of single alternative proteins from a shortlist including buckwheat, fava beans, lupin, pea, and hemp in comparison with red meat. Study protocol Aims: To assess the impact of a pea, fava bean, lupin, hemp, buckwheat in comparison with meat in healthy people on: * Biomarkers of satiety as measured by gut-related hormones and subjective appetite using visual analogue scales, specifically to be collected during the meal over a three hour period, every 30 minutes. The energy intake measured for each volunteer after an ad libitum lunch (five hours after test meal). * Biomarkers of CVD risk including total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins (LDL), high density lipoproteins (HDL), triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). * Assessment of peripheral glycaemic control, fasting glucose, area under the curve combined with insulin data. * Plasma and urine markers of important phytochemical and protein metabolites will be quantitatively analysed to determine the systemic availability, in vivo concentrations and excretion times. * Volunteer views towards diets rich in plant proteins will be assessed.