Food Safety Aspects as Potential Impediment to the Adoption of Plant‐Based Alternative Protein Products in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Ogutu, F.O., Okiko, G., Wanjala, G., Luvitaa, S., Oure, B., Vriesekoop, F. and Munialo, C.D. (2025) Food Safety Aspects as Potential Impediment to the Adoption of Plant‐Based Alternative Protein Products in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Food Science & Nutrition, 13 (4). ISSN 2048-7177

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Abstract

The emergence and use of alternative proteins that seem to provide a sustainable solution to feeding the growing human population going into the future continue to gain momentum. However, there is not much research work on the safety of foods formulated using alternative proteins such as those of plant origin, aka plant-based foods. Therefore, this review discusses the safety issues of producing and processing plant-based foods. Special attention is paid to sub-Saharan Africa, where most of the impact of climate change is felt, resulting in poor crop yields and reduced ability for thriving livestock production to serve as food for human consumption. Thus, the adoption of alternative plant-based foods would be a good strategy to combat issues such as poor nutrition status that continue to be a plight to this region. There are safety concerns that relate to the introduction of alternative plant-based protein foods which need to be overcome for these foods to be adopted in many food systems. The following safety concerns pertaining to plant-based food production and processing were identified in the literature and are discussed in this work; the presence of allergens (from ingredients like soy, gluten, and nuts), anti-nutritional factors (such as saponins, alkaloids, and isoflavones), mycotoxins, potential contamination with pathogenic microorganisms (e.g., Salmonella spp., E. coli, Bacillus spp., Listeria spp., Clostridium sporogenes, and Geobacillus stearothermophilus), and the existence of potential carcinogens formed during processing (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic aromatic amines, and nitrosamines), among others. This review concludes by recommending a thorough risk assessment of plant-based protein foods to ensure wider successful adoption and use of plant-based alternative food and protein products in SSA.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	alternative proteins, bacterial contamination, food Safety, mycotoxins, plant-based foods, sub-Saharan Africa
Divisions:	Harper Food Innovation
Depositing User:	Miss Anna Cope
Date Deposited:	25 Mar 2025 16:07
Last Modified:	25 Mar 2025 16:07
URI:	https://hau.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/18205

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