Nutritional and sensory evaluation of a formulated Hanwoo beef patty and commercial plant-based alternatives

Due to population growth and rising demand for sustainable proteins, plant-based meat analogs (PBMAs) have drawn attention as alternatives to traditional meat. This study compared nutritional and sensory properties of Hanwoo beef patties (HP) and PBMA patties (PP), analyzing proximate composition, total calories, cholesterol, minerals, sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids. The nutritional analysis showed that HP contained significantly higher levels of crude protein, fat, and total calories compared to PP, while carbohydrates were only detected in PP. The cholesterol content was 70.46 mg/100 g in HP, whereas no cholesterol was detected in PP. Ca, P, and Cu were not significantly different between HP and PP, but Fe, K, Mg, and Na were significantly higher in PP. However, zinc content was higher in HP than in PP (p < 0.05). Regarding sugars, fructose, glucose, sucrose, and total sugar content were significantly higher in PP compared to HP. HP had significantly higher levels of oleic, saturated, and monounsaturated fatty acids, while PP showed a significantly higher polyunsaturated-to-saturated fatty acid ratio. PP had lower levels of lysine but higher umami-related glutamic and aspartic acid than HP (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed distinct nutritional profiles between HP and PP, with arachidic acid as the key marker. Sensory evaluation showed that HP received higher scores for appearance, color, taste, flavor, and overall acceptability, whereas PP exhibited significantly higher off-flavor scores. These results offer key nutritional data on HP and PP, helping build consumer trust and support the adoption of sustainable food alternatives globally.