Consumer Acceptance, Attitude and Knowledge Studies on Alternative Protein Sources: Insight Review

As the world's population grows and climatic conditions worsen, the world's current resources are rapidly depleting. Human behavior exacerbates this adverse situation. One of these behaviors is traditional eating habits. A traditional diet that consists of animal-based proteins consumes more resources and pollutes the environment to a greater extent. The traditional diet, which consists of mostly animal-based proteins, may turn towards plant-based proteins. In addition to plant-based proteins, in recent years scientists have focused on exploring alternative protein sources that do not pollute the environment and require fewer resources. Plant-based proteins, algae, insect-based proteins, and cultured meat have all been identified in the literature as alternative protein sources that may be consumed alone (in dry or concentrated form) or added to foods. While alternative protein sources are still being developed, the consumer's opinion on these sources is being assessed. So, in this review, consumers' knowledge, acceptance, and attitude to alternative protein sources are discussed. Data shows that plant-based protein sources, including algae, are now widely claimed to be more accepted than traditional protein sources. It has also been established that most individuals are prejudiced toward insect-based protein and cultured meat due to lack of sufficient information.