TY - JOUR
T1 - Pre-clinical evidence for plant and insect proteins in supporting growth and bone development
AU - Becker, Gal
AU - Janssen, Jerome Nicolas
AU - Kalev-Altman, Rotem
AU - Meilich, Dana
AU - Shitrit, Astar
AU - Penn, Svetlana
AU - Reifen, Ram
AU - Monsonego-Ornan, Efrat
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024
PY - 2025/6
Y1 - 2025/6
N2 - By 2050, the global population will exceed 9 billion, demanding a 70 % increase in food production. Animal proteins alone may not suffice and contribute to global warming. Alternative proteins such as legumes, algae, and insects are being explored, but their health impacts are largely unknown. For this, three-week-old rats were fed diets containing 20 % protein from various sources for six weeks. A casein-based control diet was compared to soy isolate, spirulina powder, chickpea isolate, chickpea flour, and fly larvae powder. Except for spirulina, alternative protein groups showed comparable growth patterns to the casein group. The Spirulina group demonstrated 17 % lower body weight and 9 % lower body and femur length. Morphological and mechanical tests of femur bones matched growth patterns. Caecal 16S analysis highlighted the impact on gut microbiota diversity. Chickpea flour showed significantly lower α-diversity compared with casein and chickpea isolate groups while chickpea flour, had the greatest distinction in β-diversity. Alternative protein sources supported optimal growth, but quality and health implications require further exploration.
AB - By 2050, the global population will exceed 9 billion, demanding a 70 % increase in food production. Animal proteins alone may not suffice and contribute to global warming. Alternative proteins such as legumes, algae, and insects are being explored, but their health impacts are largely unknown. For this, three-week-old rats were fed diets containing 20 % protein from various sources for six weeks. A casein-based control diet was compared to soy isolate, spirulina powder, chickpea isolate, chickpea flour, and fly larvae powder. Except for spirulina, alternative protein groups showed comparable growth patterns to the casein group. The Spirulina group demonstrated 17 % lower body weight and 9 % lower body and femur length. Morphological and mechanical tests of femur bones matched growth patterns. Caecal 16S analysis highlighted the impact on gut microbiota diversity. Chickpea flour showed significantly lower α-diversity compared with casein and chickpea isolate groups while chickpea flour, had the greatest distinction in β-diversity. Alternative protein sources supported optimal growth, but quality and health implications require further exploration.
KW - Bone development
KW - Chickpea flour
KW - Chickpea protein
KW - Insects’ protein
KW - Protein quality
KW - Soy protein
KW - Spirulina algae
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85211576092&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.fufo.2024.100504
DO - 10.1016/j.fufo.2024.100504
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AN - SCOPUS:85211576092
SN - 2666-8335
VL - 11
JO - Future Foods
JF - Future Foods
M1 - 100504
ER -