Microbiological profile of vegan and vegetarian meat analogues from the Portuguese retail market

Motivation: Meat analogues, especially those of plant origin, are generally high in protein, high in water activity (aw > 0.95) and have a mildly acidic pH (pH > 5.5) (Kabisch et al., 2024), making these products highly susceptible to microbial spoilage. With the current increase in consumption of meat analogues, their food safety aspects need to be considered and the question arises: can meat analogs pose a food safety concern? Objective: To determine the microbiological status of plant meat analogues at the retail level in Portugal. To obtain insight into the levels of contamination and the bacterial contaminants associated with these products. Methodology: Ten vegetarian or vegan meat analogues produced by different companies made from soy (n = 6), milk/eggs (n = 2), wheat (n = 1) or lupine (n = 1), were purchased in 2024 from local supermarkets in Porto, Portugal. Of these, seven products required heating/cooking, and three were ready-to-eat (RTE). Microbiological analysis and physicochemical characterisation (pH and aw) of the products was carried out at five different times during the shelf-life indicated on packaging and up to two weeks after the expiry date. Total viable counts, lactic acid bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes and sulfite-reducing clostridia spores were determined. Results: Throughout the analyses, for all samples, the pH ranged between 4.72 and 6.25, and the aw ranged between 0.92 and 0.97. These values are insufficient to prevent microbial growth.