  Citation: Marc, R.A.; Mures , an, V.; Mures , an, A.E.; Mures , an, C.C.; Tanislav, A.E.; Pus , cas , , A.; Mar¸ tis , , G.S.; Ungur, R.A. Spicy and Aromatic Plants for Meat and Meat Analogues Applications. Plants 2022, 11, 960. https://doi.org/10.3390/ plants11070960 Academic Editor: Manuel Viuda-Martos Received: 13 March 2022 Accepted: 30 March 2022 Published: 1 April 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). plants Review Spicy and Aromatic Plants for Meat and Meat Analogues Applications Romina Alina Marc (Vlaic) 1 , Vlad Mures , an 1, * , Andru¸ta E. Mures , an 1, *, Crina Carmen Mures , an 1 , Anda E. Tanislav 1 , Andreea Pus , cas , 1 , Georgiana Smaranda Mar¸tis , (Petru¸ t) 1 and Rodica Ana Ungur 2 1 Food Engineering Department, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 3-5 Calea Măn㸠stur Street, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; romina.vlaic@usamvcluj.ro (R.A.M.); crina.muresan@usamvcluj.ro (C.C.M.); anda.tanislav@usamvcluj.ro (A.E.T.); andreea.puscas@usamvcluj.ro (A.P.); georgiana.petrut@usamvcluj.ro (G.S.M.) 2 Department of Rehabilitation Iuliu-Ha¸ tieganu, Faculty of General Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Victor Babes Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; rodica.ana.ungur@gmail.com * Correspondence: vlad.muresan@usamvcluj.ro (V.M.); andruta.muresan@usamvcluj.ro (A.E.M.) Abstract: Aromatic and spicy plants are an important factor that contributes not only to improving the taste of meat, meat products, and meat analogues, but also to increasing the nutritional value of the products to which they are added. The aim of this paper is to present the latest information on the bioactive antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the most commonly used herbs and spices (parsley, dill, basil, oregano, sage, coriander, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, bay, thyme, and mint) used in the meat and meat analogues industry, or proposed to be used for meat analogues. Keywords: herbs; essential oils; aroma compounds; antioxidant activity; antibacterial activity; bioac- tive compounds 1. Introduction Spicy and aromatic plants have been used in human consumption for thousands of years (since around 5000 BC). Initially, they played an important role in primary care, being used as therapeutic agents in the treatment of various diseases; however, wider applications are reported today [1]. Over time, spicy and aromatic plants began to be used around the world in various foods to flavor them, but also for preservative purposes. These plants are considered an untapped reservoir of valuable substances, also called phytochemicals, phytogenic, phytobiotics, botanicals or spices, although they are not established as essential ingredients [1–4]. Meat is known to be an important source of protein, essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. However, most of the meat worldwide is processed. After processing, the meat becomes more perishable and sensitive to oxidation. To improve these characteris- tics, as well as the aroma, aromatic and spicy plants with aromatizing roles and natural antioxidants are used [5,6]. Synthetic chemicals are also used, but consumers prefer natural antioxidants due to the possible long-term toxic effects of synthetic substances [7]. The growing population around the world has led to the need to increase the number of protein-containing products. Meat and meat products are the most common sources of high protein, but these sources are no longer able to meet all the needs of consumers: an increasing amount is needed, and for a part of the population, these products are not recommended for certain diseases. Along with this need, the interest in meat analogues has risen considerably [8]. The demand for these vegetable meat alternatives is growing, because they have benefits for consumers, but also for the planet, and are recognized as sustainable protein sources. A vegetable-based diet has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and mortality [9]. Plants 2022, 11, 960. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11070960 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/plants