In Vitro Protein Digestibility and Fatty Acid Profile of Commercial Plant-Based Milk Alternatives

Abstract

Plant-based milk alternatives (PBMA) are a new popular food trend among consumers in Europe and North America. The forecast shows that PBMA will double their value by 2023. The objective of this study was to analyze the nutritional value of commercial products in terms of their fatty acid profile and protein digestibility from commercial PBMA. Eight commercially available PBMA were selected for fatty acid analysis, performed with gas chromatography of methylated fatty acids (GC-FAME), and, from these, four commercial products (almond drink, hemp drink, oat drink, and soy drink) were selected for a short-term in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD) analysis. The fatty acid analysis results showed that most of the products predominantly contained oleic acid (C18:1 ω-9) and linoleic acid (C18:2 ω-6). Hemp drink contained the highest omega-6/omega-3 (ω6/ω3) ratio among all tested products (3.43). Oat drink and almond drink were the PBMA with the highest short-term protein digestibility, non-significantly different from cow’s milk, while soy drink showed the lowest value of protein digestibility. In conclusion, PBMA showed a significant variability depending on the plant source, both in terms of fatty acid composition and protein digestibility. These results provide more in-depth nutritional information, for future product development, and for consumer’s choice.

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

“…A total of 32 studies were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The studies were conducted in 13 different countries: Brazil (59.38%; n = 19) [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]; India (6.25%; n = 2) [ 49 , 50 ]; Argentina (3.13%; n = 1) [ 51 ]; Belgium (3.13%; n = 1) [ 52 ]; Canada (3.13%; n = 1) [ 23 ]; Denmark (3.13%; n = 1) [ 53 ]; Germany (3.13%; n = 1) [ 54 ]; Ghana (3.13%; n = 1) [ 55 ]; Iran (3.13%; n = 1) [ 56 ]; Ireland (3.13%; n = 1) [ 57 ]; Nigeria (3.13%; n = 1) [ 58 ]; Pakistan (3.13%; n = 1) [ 59 ]; Turkey (3.13%; n = 1) [ 60 ].…”

Advances in Food Development with Plant-Based Proteins from Seed Sources

“…These structural forms interact with protein contents of the ingredients, hence, research and testing of functional properties in terms of physico-chemical composition and sensory evaluation continues to be an area of active research for meat alternatives [77]. Excellent and current reviews (up to 2020) provide details of physico-chemical studies of meat alternatives in the market [76,78,79]. An active area of research is the investigation of reconstruction techniques of plant protein sources.…”

“…An active area of research is the investigation of reconstruction techniques of plant protein sources. Shia and Xiong [80] summarized studies in physico-chemical interactions and the aggregation of plant proteins into particles and anisotropic fibrils to impart meat-like texture; they concluded that thermoextrusion is the principal re-constructuring technique for meat-like fiber synthesis from plant proteins [79]. Moreover, some workers are investigating digestibility as regulatory interests seeks more transparency including information on protein bio-availability in commercial meat analog products [39,78,81].…”

“…Diary analogs in the market are mostly milk, cheese and yoghurt products [79,82]. There are current comprehensive reviews of functionality and sensory evaluation of diary products including milk-like foods from crop plant sources.…”

“…The review highlighted the physico-chemical properties (viscosity and flow index), structural properties (mean particle diameter and separation rate), and sensory evaluations (whiteness) of various formulations of plant-based milks (Table 3). The data presented shows that the plant milk analog composition have comparable values in structure, optical properties, rheology, stability, and digestibility with cow's milk (Table 3 et al [79] also reviewed various crop sources of plant-based milk analogs for protein digestibility and compared them with cow's milk. Sim et al [82] reviewed plant-based yogurts made by the fermentation of grain-based milks, imparting fermented flavors and probiotic cultures and thereby reducing the protein content of yogurts.…”