Plant-Based Protein in the United States: Domestic Crop Sources, Processing Technologies, Fermentation-Enabled Innovation, Food Safety and Market Outlook

Abstract

The United States occupies an unusual position in the global protein transition. It is one of the world’s largest producers of soybeans, a major grower of dry peas, lentils and chickpeas, and home to many of the companies that brought plant-based meat and dairy alternatives into mainstream retail. Yet after a period of rapid growth, retail sales of plant-based meat have contracted, consumers have raised concerns about taste, price and processing, and the domestic pea protein industry has sought trade protection against low-priced imports. This review draws together the scientific and technical literature on plant-based protein in the United States across five linked domains: the domestic crops that supply protein ingredients; the fractionation, extraction and structuring technologies that convert those crops into functional ingredients and finished foods; the fermentation technologies, traditional, biomass and precision, that are expanding what plant-based foods can do; the microbiological, allergenic and chemical hazards that plant-based foods present; and the market and consumer evidence that will shape the sector over the coming decade. The review finds that the scientific base for plant protein ingredients is mature, but that three weaknesses limit the sector: a dependence on a narrow set of crops and on energy- and water-intensive wet extraction; persistent sensory and nutritional shortfalls that fermentation is well placed to correct; and a food safety evidence base that has not kept pace with product innovation, particularly for ready-to-eat products in which plant matrices can support the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and spore-forming bacteria. The review argues that the next phase of growth in the United States will depend less on replicating meat and more on producing safe, nutritious, minimally processed foods built on domestic pulses, cereals and oilseeds, with controlled fermentation serving as both a quality tool and a safety barrier. Research priorities are identified in crop diversification, low-input processing, starter-culture-based hazard control, validated challenge testing and transparent nutritional labelling.