In recent years, with people’s increasing attention to sustainable development factors such as resources and environment, plant-based meat has been developed rapidly. Plant-based meat not only has the advantages of high protein content, no cholesterol, and no antibiotics, but also is favored by consumers for its low saturated fat content, rich dietary fiber, and environmental friendliness. However, as plant-based meat grows rapidly, its nutritional characteristics and safety have drawn increasing attention. In modern processing technologies for plant-based meat, such as extrusion, high temperature and pressure conditions affect protein digestibility and absorbability, and may also generate potential risk factors, such as acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. In order to ensure the healthy development of the plant-based meat industry, it is important to understand the nutritional characteristics of plant-based meat and possible risk factors. In this article, we review recent studies on the nutritional changes and safety of plant-based meat during processing. We analyze the factors affecting the protein digestibility of plant-based meat and summarize its safety risks during processing, with a view to providing strong support for optimizing the processing conditions of plant-based meat.

As consumers become increasingly concerned about dietary health, the health attributes of synthetic antioxidants and antibacterial agents used in the food industry are increasingly questioned, but natural active ingredients are increasingly preferred by producers and consumers due to their compliance with “clean labelling” requirements. The types and sources of natural antioxidant and antibacterial ingredients from plants commonly used in meat processing are reviewed in this paper. The mechanisms of their antioxidant and antibacterial effects in the processing and storage of meat products are also described. Furthermore, their forms and optimal concentrations for application in meat products are summarized. We expect that this review will provide a theoretical reference for the application of natural active ingredients from plants in the preservation of meat products.