Plant-Based vs. Pork Sausages: Protein Nutritional Quality and Antioxidant Potential in the Bioaccessible Fraction

The sales volume and consumption of plant-based meat substitutes is steadily increasing. Since meat and meat products are an important protein source, this study focused on the nutritional protein quality (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS)) of alternative sausages based on soy, wheat, and a wheat-soy blend in comparison to a pork-based sausage using the tiny-TIMsg gastrointestinal model. The protein digestibility of all products ranged from 80.8% (soy sausage) and 87.1 to 89.0% (other sausages). The highest DIAAS values were obtained for pork sausage limited by leucine (116%). Soy sausage was limited in sulfur-containing amino acids (86%). Wheat and wheat-soy sausages were limited by lysine (33% and 41%, respectively). The antioxidant activity of the bioaccessible fractions revealed a higher antioxidative potential of the plant-based sausages. While plant-based sausages offer comparable protein digestibility and superior antioxidant capacity, their significantly lower DIAAS values underscore the potential for formulation strategies that consider nutritional aspects.