Innovation in the production of plant-based alternative proteins

Abstract

The objective of this work was to analyze the antecedents of innovation in the industry of plant-based alternative proteins, in Brazil, presenting some factors that influence the advance of this business, such as market, technology, sector, and governmental and support institutions. In the face of the sector potential growth, four factors that influence its progress are presented, which are related to three research agenda suggestions, as well as the theoretical frameworks that can support them. This paper is classified as descriptive and qualitative from the methodological point of view. Opportunities were observed for the research on governance, specific assets, and local socioeconomic conditions, considering the current technological and supply chain limitations, and the bottlenecks from other parts of the network. Other relevant point is that antecedents can be interrelated, so, they should be jointly analyzed. Understanding the role of the governmental and support organizations, to help the production chain to overcome problems, could also be an important research agenda to the sector.