## 3 Results and Discussion
### Sensorial Properties  
The results of the sensory analysis are presented in Figure 2a-f, with each graph comparing the sensorial attributes of one meat product to those of its alternative (meat analogue). Overall, the panellists generally rated conventional meat products higher than their analogue counterparts, with a few exceptions, such as in the minced product category. This trend aligns with findings from [PERSON] et al. (2016), who observed that panellists preferred conventional chicken pieces and burgers over their analogues in a similar study. In this study, the panellists rated StA, MA, and BA at similar levels to StM, MM, and BM, respectively, with no statistically significant differences (\(p>0.05\)) observed in most of the evaluated sensory attributes. However, exceptions were noted in the \"animal character\" and \"meat taste\" descriptors. This outcome highlights the degree of similarity (mimicry) between the meat products and their analogues, which was a key focus of our study. For Frankfurter sausage, Hungarian sausage, and salami, similar evaluation ratings (with no statistically significant differences: \(p>0.05\)) were observed between the meat products and their analogues in specific sensorial attributes. For instance, product similarity and overall appearance were comparable for Frankfurter sausage and Hungarian sausage, while texture and overall appearance were similar for salami. Meat analogues are designed to be desirable and acceptable to consumers by closely matching the organoleptic properties of conventional meat products ([PERSON] et al., 2016). However, replicating the \"animal character\" and \"meat taste\" descriptors in analogue products remains challenging ([PERSON] et al., 2016). The absence of the animal character descriptor in analogues may be related to the fact that plant proteins, particularly soy, are the primary protein sources in these products ([PERSON] et al., 2016). These findings suggest that achieving visual indistinguishability (mimicking phenotypic characteristics) between meat and analogues may be more feasible than replicating other sensory attributes such as meat taste and animal character. Replicating the textural properties of meat products in analogues is generally less complex than simulating a meat aroma ([PERSON], 2016; [PERSON], 2016). Some analogue burgers use plant-based haeme to mimic a meaty flavour and appearance ([PERSON], 2016). The aroma of meat analogues is often enhanced by spices, which significantly influence the final product's scent ([PERSON], 2016). However, [PERSON] et al. (2016) found significant differences (\(p<0.05\)) between plant-based meat analogues and real meat products in terms of flavour, texture, and overall acceptability, highlighting ongoing challenges in fully replicating the sensory experience of conventional meat. Figure 2: Sensorial properties of analogue meat products versus conventional meat products: (**a**) SuA, vs. SuM; (**b**) StA vs. StM; (**c**) KA vs. KM; (**d**) MA vs. MM (**e**) SaA vs. SaM; (**f**) BA vs. BM. SuA and SuM showed high similarity in microstructure. Both products are formed from a protein matrix (Figure 3--a, A). The matrix pores contained different contents; in meat products, the pores contain fat and water (Figure 3--B), whereas in SuA, pores formed from starch were filled with water (Figure 3--b). A small difference was observed in the size of the pores, where the SuA pores were smaller. These differences did not impact the hardness or cohesiveness (Table 5). The formed protein matrix was similar to that described [PERSON] and [PERSON] [42] as a soy protein emulsion stabilised by heating. The ability to form a structure similar to meat binder was also previously confirmed for non-fibrillar protein [43]. Sta and StM showed that the microstructure of the meat alternative was close to the meat product. In Sta, the fibrillar structure was formed from texturised plant protein (Figure 3--c), and the size of the textural protein is similar to that of meat fibres (Figure 3--C).