An Overview on Nutritional Aspects of Plant-Based Beverages Used as Substitutes for Cow’s Milk

Abstract

The presence of milk in meals and products consumed daily is common and at the same time the adoption of a milk-free diet increases due to milk allergy, lactose intolerance, vegan diets, and others. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for plant-based beverages, which present variable and, sometimes, unknown nutritional characteristics. This study sought to compare the nutritional aspects of plant-based beverages used as substitutes for cow’s milk described in scientific studies. Therefore, we used a review of the scientific literature on PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Patents, Embase, and ScienceDirect databases. The inclusion criteria were scientific studies referring to plant-based beverage used as an alternative to cow’s milk; published in the English language; present data on the serving size, ingredients, and nutritional composition, containing at least data on energy and macronutrients of plant-based beverages. Ingredients and data on energy, macronutrients, and, if available, dietary fiber and some micronutrients of plant-based beverages were collected. Data were obtained from 122 beverages of 22 different matrices, with soy being the most used (27.87%, n = 34). The variation in the amount of nutrients found was 6–183 Kcal/100 mL for energy value; 0.00–22.29 g/100 mL for carbohydrate; 0.06–12.43 g/100 mL for protein; 0.00–19.00 g/100 mL for lipid; 0.00–4.40 g/100 mL for dietary fiber; 0.00–1252.94 mg/100 mL for calcium; 0.04–1.40 mg/100 mL for iron; 0.84–10,178.60 mg/100 mL for magnesium; 0.00–343.43 mg/100 mL for sodium. Salt was the most commonly found added ingredient in plant-based beverages. Some beverages have reached certain amounts of cow’s milk nutrients. However, studies have pointed out differences in their qualities/types. Thus, attention is needed when replacing milk with these alternatives.

Alternatives to Cow’s Milk-Based Infant Formulas in the Prevention and Management of Cow’s Milk Allergy

“…In general, the demand for plant-based beverages has increased throughout the world in the last years [ 330 , 331 , 332 ] and can be divided into five categories: cereal-based (oat, rice, corn, spelt), legumes-based (soy, peanut, lupin, cowpea, chickpea), nut-based (almond, coconut, cashew, hazelnut, Brazil nut, pistachio), seed-based (sunflower, sesame, hemp), and pseudocereal-based (quinoa, teff, amaranth) beverages [ 10 , 144 , 333 , 334 , 335 ]. It has been reported that parents and caretakers are increasingly feeding infants and young children with such plant-based beverages as alternatives to cow’s milk-based products, including as substitutes for cow’s milk-based infant formulas [ 336 , 337 ].…”

Legumes and Legume-Based Beverages Fermented with Lactic Acid Bacteria as a Potential Carrier of Probiotics and Prebiotics

“…Nevertheless, in most cases they are high in carbohydrates and low in protein, containing up to 30 times less protein than cow's milk. Soy beverages have the most similar protein content to cow's milk [16,141]. Even so, vegetable protein is inferior, mainly due to the presence of limiting amino acids (lysine in cereals, methionine in legumes) and poor digestibility [127,129].…”

“…Compared to milk, plant-based beverages have a low content of saturated fatty acids (less than 0.7 g/100 g), with the exception of coconut beverage, which is SFA-rich (about 1.7 g/100 g) [137]. Plant-based beverages are dominated by unsaturated fatty acids, mainly in the form of oleic, linolenic, and linoleic acids [127,137,141]. Cow's milk is a natural source of calcium (120 mg/100 g on average), and plant-based beverages tend to be low in this nutrient if not fortified during production.…”

“…Plant-based beverages, compared to cow's milk, have a nutritious fatty acid profile due to the low content of saturated fatty acids and the dominant share of unsaturated fatty acids in total fat [165,166]. In addition, plant-based beverages contain bioactive ingredients with health-promoting effects, such as β-glucans (present, e.g., in oat beverages), phytosterols, and polyphenols (present, e.g., in soy and almond beverages) [131,137,141]. These products do not contain lactose, which cannot be consumed by people allergic to this component, and cholesterol, which is often avoided by people with hypercholesterolemia [16].…”

Evaluation of the Safety of a Plant-Based Infant Formula Containing Almonds and Buckwheat in a Neonatal Piglet Model

“…There is an increasing interest in plant-based alternatives due to allergies, intolerance, or for perceived health benefits or cultural values, which are leading some families to feed their babies plant-based “milks” that are not designed specifically for infant or young children and are deficient in nutrients [ 16 , 17 ]. Although certain nuts can be allergenic for some individuals and their use should be evaluated with caution for allergic individuals [ 18 ], the common protein sources in infant formulas, cow milk and soy, are major allergens. Moreover, recent guidelines recommend the early introduction of allergens to infants below the age of 12 months [ 19 , 20 ].…”