While the U.S. dithers, the Chinese are commercializing hempseed:
Hemp seed protein: a promising meat protein substitute with high nutritional value, high safety, and high meat like aroma characteristics
Food Chemistry, Volume 513, 1 June 2026
Highlights
• HSMP exhibit superior nutritional quality, showing higher PDCAAS, MAAD, and TPD than conventional plant-based meat analogues.
• HSMP possesses superior food safety profile characterized by remarkably low IgG/IgE reactivity.
• HSMP presents remarkable stability during storage against pH changes, protein carbonylation, and glycation.
• Intrinsic unsaturated fatty acids drive meaty aroma formation in HSMP, resulting in the closest flavor similarity to beef.
Abstract
Despite advances in alternative proteins, it remains unclear whether novel plant proteins can achieve high nutritional digestibility, safety, and meat-like flavor. Therefore, this study evaluates hemp seed protein as a meat substitute through comparison with other alternative proteins and beef.
Nutritional analyses (amino/fatty acid composition, in vivo/in vitro digestibility) showed that Hemp seed protein meat patties (HSMP) are abundant in essential amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids, with higher protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS), metabolic amino acid digestibility (MAAD) and true ileal digestibility (TID) than plant-based protein meat patties (PPMPs).
Safety evaluations (sensitization, storage stability) indicated low IgG/IgE reactivity and robust pH/carbonylation stability for HSMP. Sensory evaluation combined with GC-IMS showed that the flavor of HSMP is most similar to beef depending on 1,8-eucalyptol, octanal, and 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine.
In summary, this study confirms that HSMP is a valid alternative food protein source and provides methodological insights to improve product applicability.”
Authors are:
Northeast Asia Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Natural Drugs Research and Development, The Affiliated Dongguan Songshan Lake Central Hospital, School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China
Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Key Laboratory of Ginseng Efficacy Substance Base and Biological Mechanism Research, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130117, China
College of Pharmacy, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun 130117, China
State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Beijing 100193, China
