Matthew Gilbey

Developing Sustainable Plant-Based Meat Analogues

The project:

Matthew's project focuses on the development of plant-based analogues using low-moisture extrusion of plant flours. While high-moisture extrusion is well-established in the food industry, it is often water-intensive and produces products with a shorter shelf-life. His work looks at low-moisture extrusion as a more sustainable manufacturing route to create unique plant-based textures and functional properties. Matthew is part of the Particle Products Research Group (PPG) in CMBE, supervised by Professor Agba Salman. His research is funded by and conducted in collaboration with the Nestlé Research Centre in Lausanne. 

From a sustainability perspective, this approach offers three main advantages. First, it significantly cuts down on water consumption and the energy needed for drying during production. Second, the lower water content naturally extends the shelf-life of the final product, which is a direct way to reduce food waste. Finally, by optimising the use of plant flours over animal-derived ingredients, this research supports a more sustainable, lower-impact food system without the environmental footprint of traditional meat production.

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