ABSTRACT With the growing global population and change in consumers' lifestyles, there is a pressing need for sustainable, safe, and nutritious sources of protein. Alternative proteins, like plant‐based meat supplemented with pea protein, offer a promising source; however, knowledge of their application, allergenicity, and safety is limited, and the reported results are often relatively low. This review provides a comprehensive and critical evaluation of the role of pea protein in improving meat analogues, with a particular focus on its functional applications, allergenicity, and safety considerations. Key physicochemical properties, including solubility, gelation, emulsification, and water‐ and oil‐holding capacities, are examined in relation to their contributions to structure formation, texture development, and overall product quality. The review further explores how formulation strategies and processing technologies, such as protein blending, enzymatic modification, extrusion parameters, and thermal treatments, influence the textural, structural, and sensory characteristics of pea protein–based meat alternatives. Additionally, the allergenic potential of pea protein and emerging safety assessment approaches are discussed to provide a balanced perspective on its suitability for widespread use. Collectively, this review highlights recent advances, identifies existing challenges, and outlines future directions for optimizing pea protein functionality in the development of safe, high‐quality meat analogues. The review further studied the pea protein allergenicity, identifying major allergenic components, reported clinical cases, and potential cross‐reactivity with other legumes. It assesses the effects of processing on allergenic epitopes and highlights regulatory considerations and challenges related to allergen detection and labelling. Regulatory considerations and challenges related to allergen detection and labelling are highlighted. We addressed key research gaps, including the need for standardized allergen detection in complex food matrices and improved understanding of how formulation and processing influence immunogenicity. Addressing these gaps will support the development of safer and more functional pea protein–based meat alternatives.
Zahir et al. (Tue,) studied this question.