Microbiological quality of vegan products

Plant-based products are very popular and their variety on supermarket shelves is growing steadily. These products allow consumers to make more ethical and sustainable food choices. However, the current data situation for assessing a product-specific microbiota in vegan alternatives is still inadequate. Without reliable microbiological data, monitoring bodies and food business operators lack important information to objectively assess the safety and quality of such products.

New products, new challenges?

The research project at the Vetmeduni Vienna now aims to close this knowledge gap. The team is planning comprehensive microbiological and molecular biological studies to determine the current status of plant-based alternative products. The focus is on vegan milk (product), meat and egg alternatives.

The scientists will examine the respective end products as well as their raw materials and various intermediate products in order to understand how the microbial community is composed during production and subsequent storage. This is because not only are completely different raw materials used compared to the animal originals. The production process can also vary greatly compared to the traditional process due to technological processes such as extrusion. This can result in a completely different microbiota typical of the product.

The results will not only provide information on the microbiological composition of the vegan foods examined, but also create a basis for the objective microbiological assessment of these products. Furthermore, it is planned to investigate the microbial diversity depending on different raw material sources and regions of origin in order to enable targeted risk analyses. The knowledge gained in this way can help to define suitable production processes and storage conditions for plant-based alternative products and thus make an important contribution to food safety.

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Vetmeduni Vienna

Project leader: Prof. Dr. med. vet. Karin Schwaiger

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