Determination of Nutritional Value, Antioxidant Activities, Microbiological and Sensory Properties of Almond, Soy and Oat Based Fermented Beverages

Abstract

Plant-based milks have become popular in recent years for vegan and vegetarian diets as well as sustainable nutrition choices. It was aimed to determine the survival rate of probiotic bacterial culture as a result of different storage periods of almond, soy and oat milk-based fermented beverages, to determine their nutritional values and total antioxidant activities, and to evaluate their sensory properties. Almond, soy and oat milk and one type of semi-skimmed cow's milk were used as the control group. Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus (NCFM®), Bifidobacterium lactis (HN019™) were used as microorganisms. The incubated samples were stored at 4 ± 1°C for 21 days. High viability levels (> 6 log cfu/ml) were maintained in all strains except for B. lactis throughout the storage period (p < 0.05). Fermented oat milk (FOM) had the highest values in terms of carbohydrates, fermented cow milk (FCM) and fermented soy milk (FSM) had the highest values in terms of protein and fat, and FCM and FOM had the highest values in terms of energy (p < 0.05). FSM and fermented almond milk (FAM) had the highest total antioxidant levels during the storage period (p > 0.05). Our data show that the ideal period for the survival of probiotic microorganisms in fermented plant based beverages is first 14 days. It is thought that plant milks are mostly preferred by vegan and vegetarian individuals, and FSM and FAM will be a good choice for these individuals, especially considering the risk of protein intake deficiency and total antioxidant activity.