The Study
Plant-Based vs. Pork Sausages: Protein Nutritional Quality and Antioxidant Potential in the Bioaccessible Fraction
This study tested four types of sausages in a machine that mimics a stomach and intestines — it didn't use real people. So we can only say what happened inside the machine, not what happens when humans eat them.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested four types of sausages—pork, soy, wheat, and a mix—to see how well your body can use their protein and antioxidants after digestion.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 57 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though plant sausages have more antioxidants, their protein isn't as usable by your body—especially wheat-based ones—so you’d need to eat more or combine them with other foods to get enough essential amino acids.
- 2Pork sausage had the best protein score (116%), soy was good (86%), but wheat and wheat-soy were low (33% and 41%) because they lacked enough usable lysine.
- 3Soy protein was harder to digest (80.8%) than pork (87.1%).
- 4All plant sausages had more antioxidants than pork.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Foods
Year
2025
Authors
N. Khamzaeva, B. Hieronimus, Christina Kunz, Larissa E. Pferdmenges, K. Briviba
Related Content
Claims (10)
Tofu contains all essential amino acids in better proportions than most plant proteins, but the body absorbs fewer of those amino acids from tofu than from eggs, meat, or dairy.
In laboratory tests simulating human digestion, pork sausage provided the highest protein quality score among the tested sausages, followed by soy sausage, while wheat-based sausages had significantly lower protein quality scores due to insufficient lysine.
When plant-based sausages made from soy, wheat, or wheat-soy are digested in a lab, they show higher antioxidant activity than pork sausage in two common tests, but the difference depends on the specific ingredients and the test used.
Soy sausage breaks down less during simulated digestion in lab tests compared to pork, wheat, and wheat-soy sausages, resulting in lower protein availability.
Wheat-based sausages contain more total protein than three other types of sausages tested, but the body can only use a small portion of the lysine in that protein, meaning high protein numbers do not guarantee good nutrition.
A plant-based sausage made with both soy and wheat has only 8% better amino acid quality than one made with wheat alone, meaning combining them without adjusting their proportions does not significantly improve nutritional value.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.