Estudo dos principais ingredientes, custo e valor nutricional de hambúrgueres vegetarianos industrializados

Abstract

The aim of this study was to research the replacement of animal proteins by vegetables in industrialized hamburgers, carrying out a survey on the market of the main ingredients used in vegetarian hamburgers, costs and nutritional value of these products, assisting in the development of new products. We searched, through online bases, raw materials, their benefits, for the elaboration of vegetarian industrialized hamburgers, of sixteen industrialized hamburger brands of vegetarian and traditional bovine hamburgers, elaborating a synthesis of the ingredients, nutritional value, weight per package by reading the labeling. The comparative analysis of nutritional value and cost of vegetable protein burgers versus animal protein burgers was performed using Excel spreadsheets. The samples differed in the main protein source, which were soy, pea, chickpeas, gluten proteins, also highlighting other ingredients such as beets and wheat. Vegetable products differ in terms of the diversity of condiments and additives, being used as thickeners and stabilizers, both additives and starch source ingredients such as potato flakes, rice flour or chickpeas and cassava starch, also emphasizing the addition of Vitamin B12 on some brands of vegetable burgers. All samples had added oil or vegetable fat, differentiating between sunflower, cotton, palm and coconut. Meat samples also showed differences in ingredients such as soy protein added to meat and additives in some brands. It is concluded that the development of vegetable hamburgers not only serves the growing vegetarian market, but also diversifies consumption of “meat” and increases the food industry portfolio and that the main ingredients used in the preparation of vegetarian hamburgers were soy proteins, peas, chickpeas, gluten, vegetable oils and fats, natural additives such as beet dyes and as thickeners and stabilizing starches from different sources. The nutritional characteristics of vegetable protein hamburgers showed a high concentration of dietary fibers and a lower concentration of total fat compared to animal protein hamburgers. In relation to price, these products had a higher value than animal protein hamburgers, which can be justified because it is an innovation, so due to the law of supply and demand, they have a disadvantage compared to traditional competitors and also because they present a greater range of ingredients in their preparation. requiring more technology.