Rice Protein as an Alternative Ingredient for Sustainable Food Formulations: Nutritional Quality, Functional Properties, Health-promoting Potential, and Emerging Applications

Hybrid food design as a way to enhance the nutritional and functional properties of animal-based products.

This chapter examines hybrid food systems as a strategic response to the challenges of rising global protein demand, population aging, environmental constraints, and changing dietary expectations. Hybrid foods, defined as formulations combining animal-derived ingredients with plant, fungal, insect, or other novel protein sources, are presented as a pragmatic pathway to reconcile nutritional adequacy, technological functionality, sustainability, and consumer acceptance within the ongoing protein transition. The chapter reviews the wide range of raw materials used in hybrid food design, emphasizing their complementary roles. Plant and fungal ingredients contribute dietary fiber, bioactive compounds, and reduced environmental impact, while animal-derived components ensure high-quality protein, essential micronutrients, and techno-functional properties. These combinations enable nutritionally complete products while promoting resource efficiency and circularity through the valorization of underutilized by-products. Processing technologies are identified as central to hybrid food performance. Conventional and emerging processes, such as mixing, cooking, extrusion, non-thermal treatments, and 3D food printing, govern structure, sensory quality, digestibility, and nutrient bioavailability by shaping interactions between heterogeneous protein sources. Evidence reviewed in the chapter indicates that well-designed hybrid matrices can maintain, or even enhance, protein digestibility and mineral bioavailability compared to purely animal- or plant-based products. The chapter further addresses health implications, consumer acceptance, and environmental performance. Hybrid foods can reduce saturated fat intake and environmental footprints while maintaining sensory appeal, particularly for flexitarian consumers. Life cycle assessments and market analyses suggest that hybrid foods align with dietary guidelines and sustainability policies, positioning them as a scalable and socially acceptable lever for future food systems.

Ingredient innovations for food reformulation: Functional ingredients, alternative proteins, and fat, salt and sugar replacers.

Insect protein: the potential for sustainable food and nutritional security

This review aims to promote the broader application of insect protein by summarizing its nutritional and functional properties, with the ultimate goal of mitigating food security challenges exacerbated by global population growth. This study employs a narrative review to evaluate the potential of insect protein for food applications. The analysis encompasses its nutritional profile, functional properties, innovative processing technologies, and food safety risk management. This review demonstrates that insect protein is a high-quality nutritional source, characterized by high protein content, a balanced amino acid profile, a favorable lipid composition rich in essential fatty acids, and an abundance of vitamins and minerals. Its inherent advantages in resource efficiency and low environmental impact have led to its endorsement by the FAO as a strategic alternative protein source to support sustainable food systems. In the context of rising global protein demand and the environmental limitations of conventional agriculture, this study consolidates evidence that edible insect protein represents a viable and sustainable alternative. Its integration into the food supply chain holds significant potential to alleviate pressure on traditional livestock and plant protein systems, thereby contributing to global food security.

Wheat germ protein in functional foods: structure, processing, applications, and mechanistic insights.

As a sustainable plant protein resource, wheat germ protein (WGP) has attracted increasing attention because of its high digestibility, balanced essential amino acid profile, and broad potential in functional food development. However, its industrial application remains limited by processing bottlenecks and an incomplete understanding of its structure-function relationships and molecular mechanisms of action. This review systematically summarizes the structural characteristics, digestion behavior, and functional properties of WGP, and further evaluates its incorporation into diverse food matrices, particularly bakery products, meat analogues, and other functional formulations. In addition, current evidence on the physiological activities of WGP and its derived bioactive peptides is critically examined, with emphasis on antioxidant, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and metabolic regulatory effects, together with the signaling pathways involved. Available studies indicate that WGP-derived peptides exert health-promoting effects not only through activation of key pathways such as Nrf2 and AMPK, but also through modulation of systemic homeostasis via the gut-brain and gut-liver axes. Overall, this review highlights the need to move beyond conventional nutritional fortification toward a mechanism-oriented design strategy, and provides a theoretical basis for the development of next-generation functional foods and specialized medical nutrition products based on WGP.

Sustainable proteins for future food systems: nutritional quality, environmental trade-offs, and consumer acceptance

The global food system is under growing strain to deliver sufficient high-quality protein for a rising population, while curbing environmental degradation, tackling climate change, and maintaining long-term food security. Conventional livestock production is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, excessive land and water use, and biodiversity loss, which has boosted demand for sustainable alternative proteins such as plant-based, microbial, algal, insect, fermented, and cultivated meat products. This multidisciplinary review comprehensively assesses these emerging protein sources across nutrition, environmental performance, and consumer acceptance. It evaluates their amino acid composition, protein digestibility, micronutrient density, and health effects, and quantifies their environmental impacts using life cycle assessment indicators. Noticeable trade-offs in processing intensity, energy consumption, and production scalability are also discussed. Key factors shaping consumer adoption, including sensory traits, cultural perceptions, affordability, and food neophobia, are analyzed. This study further explores technological advances, circular economy strategies, regulatory updates, and policy support for protein transition, identifies critical research gaps, and proposes an integrated multi-dimensional evaluation framework. The findings provide practical guidance for researchers, industrial practitioners, and policymakers to build resilient, equitable, and eco-friendly protein systems benefiting both human and planetary health.

An Update on Plant-Based Functional Foods: Nutrition, Sensory, Nutraceutical and Biotechnology Potentials

With the rise of vegan diets and increased reports of lactose intolerance, plant-based diets, including plant-based milk products (PBMP), offer an interesting alternative. In addition, PBMP, as a treasure trove of bioactive compounds, is reported to improve human health by promoting food sustainability, reducing environmental pollution, and supporting an eco-friendly approach. PBMP are milk analogues produced from plant sources, comprising dispersed particles of plant matrices. They are water-soluble extracts of plants formulated to mimic animal milk. A wide range of PBMPs that are convenient, affordable, sustainable, and rich in nutrients are now being developed by the food industry. The current review focuses on the current knowledge in this important area of food technology, with implications for improving nutrition and health. By reviewing the background literature on sources, the subsequent chapter focuses on the sensory and physico-chemical properties. The nutrition and health aspects, coupled with the bioavailability of these fortified milks, are discussed in detail. The biotechnological prospects and current trends form the last section. In summary, these plant-fortified milks are a complete package of health- and nutrition-promoting, environmentally sustainable milk products.