Health issues and technological aspects of plant-based alternative milk

127

Increase in allergenicity towards cow's milk, lactose intolerance, the prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, and flexitarian choice of food consumption have increased the market for cow's milk alternatives. Non-dairy plant-based beverages are useful alternatives because of the presence of bioactive components with health-promoting properties, which attract health-conscious consumers. However, the reduced nutritional value and sensory acceptability of the plant-based beverages (such as flavor, taste, and solubility) compared to cow's milk pose a big threat to its place in the market. Thermal treatments are commonly used to ensure the quality of plant-based beverages during storage. However, the application of high temperatures can promote the degradation of thermolabile compounds and some detrimental reactions, thus reducing protein digestibility and amino acid availability of non-dairy plant-based beverages substitutes. New and advanced food processing technologies, such as high-pressure processing, high-pressure homogenization, pulsed electric fields, and ultrasound, are being researched for addressing the issues related to shelf life increase, emulsion stability, preservation of nutritional content and sensorial acceptability of the final product. However, the literature available on the application of non-thermal processing technologies on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of plant-based beverages is scarce. Concerted research efforts are required in the coming years in the functional plant-based beverages sector to prepare newer, tailor-made products which are palatable as well as nutritionally adequate.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Foods 2020, 9, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 15 lactose intolerance, and flexitarian choice of food consumption, despite their taste [2]. According to Markets and Markets [1], the estimated growth of plant-based beverage alternatives is 15% by 2018, reaching a value of $14 billion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Innovative Food Processing Technologies on the Physicochemical and Nutritional Properties and Quality of Non-Dairy Plant-Based Beverages

Munekata

Domínguez

Budaraju

et al. 2020

127

“…The demand for plant-based products is on the rise as consumers become increasingly health-conscious and seek out non-dairy alternatives for dairy products. Reasons for the plant-based movement stem from three different factors: environmental, health, and concerns about animal welfare [1,2]. Consequently, the food industries are undoubtedly experiencing disruptive pressures in favor of plant-based products and are evolving rapidly to meet consumer needs [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The specific objectives of this study are: (1) to evaluate the impact of the addition of yeasts on the acidifying activity of LAB; and (2) to compare the flavor profile of the samples fermented with a pure culture of LAB and the ones fermented with LAB in co-culture with yeasts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensory Improvement of a Pea Protein-Based Product Using Microbial Co-Cultures of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Yeasts

Youssef¹,

Bonnarme

Fraud³

et al. 2020

Consumer demands for plant-based products have increased in recent years. However, their consumption is still limited due to the presence of off-flavor compounds, primarily beany and green notes, which are mainly associated with the presence of aldehydes, ketones, furans, and alcohols. To overcome this problem, fermentation is used as a lever to reduce off-flavors. A starter culture of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was tested in a 4% pea protein solution with one of the following yeasts: Kluyveromyces lactis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, or Torulaspora delbrueckii. The fermented samples were evaluated by a sensory panel. Non-fermented and fermented matrices were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry to identify and quantify the volatile compounds. The sensory evaluation showed a significant reduction in the green/leguminous attributes of pea proteins and the generation of new descriptors in the presence of yeasts. Compared to the non-fermented matrix, fermentations with LAB or LAB and yeasts led to the degradation of many off-flavor compounds. Moreover, the presence of yeasts triggered the generation of esters. Thus, fermentation by a co-culture of LAB and yeasts can be used as a powerful tool for the improvement of the sensory perception of a pea protein-based product.

“…Plant-based drinks, also improperly called "vegetal milks," represent a wide range of beverages that can be obtained by extracting in water a variety of plant ingredients, such as cereals (e.g., rice, oat, corn, spelt), pseudo-cereals (e.g., quinoa, amaranth), legumes (e.g., soy, lupin, chickpea), nuts (e.g., almond, hazelnut, peanut, walnut, pistachio), or seeds (e.g., flax, sesame, sunflower) [1,2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional Quality of Plant-Based Drinks Sold in Italy: The Food Labelling of Italian Products (FLIP) Study

Angelino

Rosi

Vici

et al. 2020

Plant-based drinks represent a heterogeneous class of beverages, made from several vegetal sources, with a market rapidly expanding around the world. These beverages are mainly drunk in the replacement of milk. Thus, aims of the present study were to: (i) evaluate the nutritional declaration of 330 plant-based drinks currently available on the Italian market; (ii) compare their nutrition facts based on type, presence or not of organic certification and nutrition (NC) or health claims (HC), and of specific claims (“no added sugars” and “source of calcium”); (iii) compare their nutrition composition with cow’s milk. A high variability in terms of nutrient profile among products was observed. Limited difference was found between products belonging to both organic and NC categories, while products carrying HC showed lower energy, carbohydrates, sugar, and higher protein contents than the related counterparts. Compared to cow’s milk, plant-based drinks showed differences in terms of nutrient profile, mostly regarding the lower protein content (except for soy drinks). Overall, due to the variability, findings from the present survey show that plant-based drinks sold in Italy cannot be considered tout court as milk substitutes and support the importance of improving knowledge towards food labeling to make conscious food choices.