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Nowadays, plant-based dairy alternatives have gained considerable attention. However, the textural and sensorial characteristics of plant-based products limit their acceptance. The exploitation of lactic acid bacteria has been proposed as a promising approach to developing plant-based dairy analogs. In this study, the performance of three proteolytic lactic acid bacteria in the induction of soymilk gelation was compared and their effects on the physicochemical properties of resulting gels were investigated. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum MCM4, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Weissella confusa MDM8) were inoculated to the soy milk matrix, and incubated at 37 °C until reaching pH 4.7. To understand the effects of acidifying and proteolytic activity of starter culture, syneresis, cell counts, free amino acid content (O-phthalaldehyde method), evaluation of proteolysis using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and textural parameters of soymilk gels during fermentation were investigated. There was a significant difference among the strains in terms of viable cell counts and proteolytic activity during fermentation (p < 0.05). The amount of syneresis was also different among the resulted gels as it was in the range from 61% (sample fermented with S. thermophilus) to 69.5% (fermented with L. plantarum MCM4). The main soy proteins were degraded to different extents as a function of fermentation time. Texture analysis showed that fermentation of soymilk with W. confusa MDM8 resulted in soy gel with higher firmness and consistency, while the sample fermented with L. plantarum MCM4 had higher adhesiveness and viscosity index. Overall, it can be concluded that L. plantarum MCM4, W. confusa MDM8, and S. thermophilus can be introduced as starter cultures for the production of novel soymilk gels with reasonable properties.

Dairy milk is a core food in many food‐based guides to healthy eating. However, plant‐based milk alternatives are becoming increasingly available as substitutes. While these products serve a subset of the population unable or unwilling to consume milk, plant‐based milk alternatives can be perceived by consumers as direct equivalents, or even more healthful alternatives to dairy milk. This commentary addresses the significant differences in nutrient content that may have implications for the intake of key nutrients in the case of direct substitutions. Furthermore, while there is a significant body of knowledge demonstrating the significant health benefits associated with dairy milk consumption and a small number of potentially negative associations, there is a paucity of data on the health benefits of plant‐based milk alternatives directly. A "health halo" may exist based on matching individual nutrients through fortification, lower energy levels, and the health properties of the unprocessed raw characterizing ingredients of plant‐based milk alternatives. This may mislead consumers regarding healthfulness. Similarly, environmental attributes based on volumes of production, without considering contribution to nutrients, may also skew consumer perception. Positioning of plant‐based milk alternatives in food‐based dietary guidelines, marketing, and personal recommendations should acknowledge the differences in nutritional, bioactive, and health properties between plant‐based milk alternatives and dairy milk to ensure appropriate adaptations are made to account for shortfalls in nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the transition to more environmentally sustainable food systems, the production and consumption of resource-intensive animal-based dairy foods (ABD) remains a talking point. Given the power of consumer choice in transforming food systems, understanding consumer priorities surrounding ABD consumption and their plant-based counterparts is fundamental. Using data from 3271 unique survey respondents, the objectives of this study were to examine the consumption frequencies of ABD and plant-based milk (PBM) in Australia over time (2019–2022) and determine the psychosocial and sociodemographic factors associated with distinct consumer segments. Multivariate analysis identified sociodemographic and food choice factors associated with three consumer segments: 'exclusive PBM consumers', 'exclusive ABD consumers', and 'mixed consumers' (consumers of both product types). Despite the growing availability of plant-based milk alternatives, exclusive PBM consumption remains relatively uncommon compared to mixed plant and animal dairy consumption. 'Exclusive ABD consumers' had a higher probability of being older and less likely to prioritise health and nutrition than 'mixed consumers'. 'Exclusive PBM consumers' were more likely to prioritise food tolerance and restrictions and less likely to prioritise product taste than 'exclusive ABD consumers'. We report sociodemographic and motivational factors influencing animal-based dairy and plant-based milk choices. The outcomes are of interest to sustainable food systems development stakeholders, with potential applications in the public health and commercial food promotion sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the possibility of using milk thistle endosperm (MTE) extract with a protein content of >2 g/100 mL to obtain a fermented product, an alternative to milk beverages. Directed lactic fermentation with Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus was carried out. The course of the process was monitored. The changes in pH, the saturation of the medium with dissolved oxygen, and temperature were measured. The values of the main nutritional parameters, silymarin content, amino acid profile/content, and the PDCAAS value (Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score) were determined in the extract before and after fermentation. The lactic acid fermentation of the MTE extract took place in four phases, with the activity of L. rhamnosus being the most intense between 4 and 8 h into the process. As a result of fermentation, there were changes in the total amino acid content in the tested medium, suggesting the catabolism of aspartic acid, arginine, proline, and isoleucine via LAB took place. Particularly significant was the increase in the content of lysine and valine (4.95 and 4.68 g/100 g of total AA, respectively), which are the limiting amino acids in MTE. Although MTE contained approximately 1% silymarin, no presence of this flavonolignan complex was found in the extracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWith the increased environmental concerns and health awareness among consumers, there has been a notable interest in plant-based dairy alternatives. The plant-based yogurt market has experienced rapid expansion in recent years. Due to challenges related to cultivation, higher cost of production and lower protein content researchers have explored the viability of pulse-based yogurt which has arisen as an economically and nutritionally abundant solution. This review aims to examine the feasibility of utilizing pulse protein for yogurt production. The nutritional, antinutritional, and functional characteristics of various pulses were discussed in detail, alongside the modifications in these properties during the various stages of yogurt manufacturing. The review also sheds light on pivotal findings from existing literature and outlines challenges associated with the production of pulse-based yogurt. Pulses have emerged as promising base materials for yogurt manufacturing due to their favorable nutritional and functional characteristics. Further, the fermentation process can effectively reduce antinutritional components and enhance digestibility. Nonetheless, variations in sensorial and rheological properties were noted when different types of pulses were employed. This issue can be addressed by employing suitable combinations to achieve the desired properties in pulse-based yogurt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic high pressure treatment (DHPT) either by high pressure homogenization or microfluidisation, is an emerging concept used in the food industry for new products development through macromolecules modifications in addition to simple mixing and emulsification action. Mechanistic understanding of droplets breakup during high pressure homogenization is used to understand how these compact and high molecular weight-sized globular plant proteins are affected during DHPTs. Plant protein needs to be functionalized for advanced use in food formulation. DHPTs brought changes in plant proteins' secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures through alterations in intermolecular and intramolecular interactions, sulfhydryl groups, and disulfide bonds. These structural changes in plant proteins affected their functional and physicochemical properties like solubility, oil and water holding capacity, gelation, emulsification, foaming, and rheological properties. These remarkable changes made utilization of this concept in novel food system applications like in plant-based dairy analogues. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive and critical understanding of DHPTs on their mechanistic and transport approaches for droplet breakup, structural and functional modification of plant macromolecules. This article also explores the potential of DHPT for formulating plant-based dairy analogues to meet healthy and sustainable food consumption needs. It critically reviews high pressure homogenization (HPH) and microfluidisation (DHPM). It explores the mechanistic and transport phenomena approaches of HPH and DHPM HPH and DHPM can induce conformational and structural changes in plant proteins. Improvement in the functional properties of HPH and DHPM treated plant proteins. HPH and DHPM are potentially applicable for plant based dairy alternatives food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fermentation process of plant-based yoghurt (PBY)-like products must be followed for consistency by monitoring, e.g., the pH, temperature, and lactic acid concentration. Spectroscopy provides an efficient multivariate in situ quality monitoring method for tracking the process. Therefore, quality monitoring methods for pea- and oat-based yoghurt-like products using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were developed and modeled. Plant-based yoghurt (PBY) was formulated by fermenting pea and oat plant drinks with a commercial starter culture based on Lactobacillus and Streptococcus strains. The main variance during fermentation was explained by spectral carbohydrate and protein bands with a notable shift in protein band peaks for the amide II band at 1548 cm−1 to 1576 cm−1. In addition to the identification of changed spectral bands during fermentation, FT-IR efficiently tracked the variation in oat and pea fermentation using pH as the main indicator. Prediction models with an R2 for the predicted value of pH as a fermentation indicator (R2 = 0.941) with a corresponding root-mean-squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.247 was obtained when compared to the traditional pH method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health and environmental issues regarding dairy consumption have been highlighted in recent years leading to tremendous consumer demand for plant-based substitutes. In this review, we focused on quality and health dimensions of pulse-based dairy alternatives (PuBDA) using chickpeas, lupins and mung beans. Appraisal of existing documents show that there is limited information on PuBDA with the said pulses compared to similar materials such as soy and pea. Most of the studies focused on milk or fermented milks, either in full or partial substitution of the dairy ingredients with the pulses. Issues on stability, sensory properties, shelf life and nutritional quality were underlined by existing literature. Although it was emphasized in some reports the health potential through the bioactive components, there is scarce data on clinical studies showing actual health benefits of the featured PuBDA in this paper. There is also a scant number of these PuBDA that are currently available in the market and in general, these products have inferior nutritional quality compared to the animal-based counterparts. Technological innovations involving physical, biological and chemical techniques can potentially address the quality problems in the use of chickpeas, lupins, and mung beans as raw materials in dairy alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutri-Score is a front-of-pack label that visualizes the nutritional quality of food products from most healthy (A, dark green) to least healthy (E, red). However, concerns have been raised about discrepancies between Nutri-Score labels and dietary recommendations. Therefore, the Nutri-Score algorithm has recently been adapted. To investigate the effect of the new algorithm, the Nutri-Score of plant-based meat, fish, and dairy alternatives (n = 916) was calculated with the old and new algorithms. In addition, the nutritional values of meat and milk alternatives with Nutri-Score labels A and B were compared under the old and new conditions and subsequently assessed for alignment with the criteria of Dutch dietary guidelines. The new algorithm resulted in a reduction in the number of products with labels A and B, ranging from 5% (cold cuts alternatives) to 55% (milk alternatives). The nutritional composition of products with labels A and B improved for meat alternatives (lower energy and saturated fatty acid contents; higher protein content) and milk alternatives (lower energy, salt, and sugar contents; higher protein and fiber contents). Overall, the new Nutri-Score algorithm is more in line with the Dutch dietary guidelines for plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, though challenges remain with respect to micronutrient (iron, calcium, vitamin B12), salt, and protein contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-Dairy (ND) food consumption is rapidly increasing in the UK and for many consumers plant-based diets are presumed to be healthier than standard diets. ND alternatives have different nutritional compositions, and their consumption could present challenges on a public-health level. Aim: To compare the price and nutritional composition of dairy and ND milks and cheeses in UK supermarkets. Methods: Macro and micronutrient data was recorded from Alpro's website and the 6 leading UK grocers for their own-label ND milks and cheeses. For missing micronutrient values the McCance & Widdowson's dataset was used. 99 total products were extracted: 57 ND milks, 7 dairy milks, 10 dairy cheeses and 25 ND cheeses. Dairy milk and cheese were used as control against which all ND products were compared. Results: Soya and coconut milks had lower values of carbohydrates, sugars, calcium, iodine, and potassium (p < 0.01) than dairy. Almond milk had lower values of carbohydrates (p = 0.01), sugars, calcium, iodine, and potassium (p < 0.01) compared to dairy milk. Protein was significantly (p < 0.01) lower for all ND except soya. Dairy cheeses had higher values for energy, protein, iodine, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and calcium (p < 0.01) than ND. Median prices were similar between dairy and ND milks, whereas ND cheeses were significantly more expensive compared to dairy (p < 0.01). Conclusions: ND alternatives fall short in several key nutrients compared to dairy. Fortification, accurate labelling and nutrition education are needed to help consumers make healthy and informed choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest in fermented plant-based milks and the availability of starter bacterial cultures, as well as equipment (devices that maintain the temperature at the appropriate level for fermentation, dedicated to use at home) have a resulted in many consumers not only producing plant-based milks at home, but also fermenting them. Moreover, the importance of homemade plant-based foods and beverages (including fermented products) significantly increased in recent years. The fermentation of commercial and homemade almond, oat and soy milks to obtain plant-based yogurt alternatives for fresh consumption was compared regarding microorganisms viability, physicochemical characteristics (pH, viscosity, stability), bioactive compounds changes (proteins, free amino acids, total carbohydrates, reducing sugars, polyphenolics and flavonoids) as well as antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, O2− radicals scavenging activities and reducing power). The results showed that both commercial and homemade plant-based milks can be successfully fermented, ensuring high number of Lactic Acid Bacteria, high content of bioactive ingredients and antioxidant activity. Homemade plant-based milks are an attractive alternative to their commercial counterparts, moreover, considering the content of bioactive ingredients (such as polyphenols and flavonoids) and antioxidant activity, homemade almond, oat and soy milks showed a more favorable profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that reducing the consumption of animal-based products bodes well for improving planetary and human health. Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives (PBMDAs) can contribute to this transition. How products are described is an important mechanism in enhancing their appeal. Product descriptors of PBMDAs vary in abstraction, ranging from indicating the absence of animal-based ingredients (e.g., meat-free burger) to identifying the presence of plant-based ingredients (e.g., plant-based burger) to highlighting the primary ingredient (e.g., lentil-based burger). Considering this, the study explored how British consumers (n=1073) rationalise abstract to concrete product descriptors and how this influences appeal, taste, health, and sustainability expectations. Many consumers find PBMDAs most appealing when described with high levels of abstraction, by simply describing the product as meat-or dairy-free. Similarly, the mentioning of explicit ingredients can carry pre-existing connotations. While appeal for PBMDAs differed significantly by abstraction, this variation was less pronounced in taste expectations, and even less so in terms of health and sustainability expectations. This implies that manufacturers can leverage abstract product descriptors for more flexibility in product formulation. Additionally, it helps integrate economical, functional and underused substitutes, including food by-products and novel proteins, which may not otherwise have widespread appeal.

Plant-based milk alternatives are a fast-growing segment of food industry resulting in the generation of large amounts of by-products, often containing comparable and even higher amounts of valuable phytochemicals than the target products. Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum M.) Panda variety has been selected for this study, which aims to compare the antioxidant potential of beverages produced from buckwheat whole and dehulled grains, as well as cakes obtained as residues. After combining, evaporating and freeze-drying, extracts were subjected to RP-HPLC-DAD, total phenolics and in vitro antiradical and antioxidant assays (FRAP, ABTS, DPPH and lipid autoxidation). Flavonoids (3.09 mg/100 mL) exceeded the content of phenolic acids (2.35 mg/100 mL) in the beverages prepared from dehulled grains, but their content (1.69 mg/100 mL) in the beverages from whole grains was lower than that of phenolic acids (2.93 mg/100 mL). The antiradical capacity of beverages did not differ significantly, regardless of the method used. In case of by-products, a higher ferric-reducing capacity and scavenging activity towards DPPH• of cakes from whole grains compared to that from dehulled grains was established. The activity of cake extracts under lipid autoxidation conditions increased with the increase in their concentrations from 0.12 wt% to 0.16 wt% in the oxidizable substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine consumer demand for animal-free dairy cheese produced using cellular agriculture. Our data is generated through a hypothetical choice experiment completed by 1249 UK residents. Using a mixed logit model, we predict that animal-free dairy cheese would have a conditional market share of 22% when priced at a 25% markup relative to premium conventional cheese. However, the market share is quite sensitive to price: only 2% of consumers would purchase animal-free dairy cheese if it were twice the price of premium conventional cheese. Three-quarters of consumers who purchase animal-free dairy cheese would have purchased conventional dairy cheese if animal-free dairy cheese were unavailable. We use our experimental results to examine the impact of higher conventional dairy cheese prices, such as those that might result from a tax on livestock products. We find that the introduction of animal-free dairy cheese reduces consumer losses from higher conventional dairy prices by about 20%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the different dietary needs of consumers due to their health problems, such as food allergies and lactose intolerance, or lifestyle changes, well-being trends, and increasing awareness about environmental concerns, causes an increment in consumers' demand to have more plant-based foods in the diet. In this regard, more sustainable alternatives for different food systems come into prominence, and the market size for new plant-based alternatives, especially for dairy products, is ever-increasing. Ice cream is a complex colloidal structure and is defined as a frozen foam that is considered a suitable matrix for plant-based milk substitutes. Although it is hard to obtain a stable colloidal ice cream structure when replacing cow's milk with plant-based alternatives, the coconut-based, soy-based, and almond-based milk alternatives are regarded as some of the most suitable choices for ice cream production. According to studies, coconut milk's fat and protein content helps the formation of emulsion and stabilization of the foam system. Also, it is indicated that soy-based ice cream is a good carrier for probiotics, has a better melting resistance, and has comparable sensorial properties with dairy ice cream when used together with milk alternative combinations. However, some technological, microbiological, and sensorial properties of plant-based ice creams were not similar to ice cream made with cow's milk. Eventually, innovative approaches to producing ice cream with different milk alternatives could be promising and beneficial for the sustainable food industry and should continue to be developed to meet the current needs and interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study analyzed manufacturing possibilities of oat milk and its products in Egypt. The objectives of the study are: (i) identify the current situation of dairy alternatives in the world, and )ii( analyze the possible opportunities for manufacturing oat milk products in Egypt. It was found an increase in global demand for dairy alternatives and its products. Dairy alternatives include soy, almond, rice, coconut, and oat milk. Oat milk tops the lists of the best-selling dairy products in most countries of the world, so it is considered one of the dairy alternatives that is a strong candidate for expansion in its production in recent times. The study assumed a unit production capacity for manufacturing oat milk products)drink milk, ice cream, and yogurt( amounting to 3.5 tons of oats annually, the project lifespan is 12 years, and the discount price is 22%. The study concluded that the factory will achieve net cash flows during the life of the project whose current value is 0.29millionpounds, and IRR is 36%, which greatly exceeds the lending rate in banks, and the ratio of current benefits to current costs is 1.1, meaning that the project is financially feasible. The pay back period is 2.8 years. By analyzing the sensitivity of the project to an increase in the price of a ton of oats which used in manufacturing by 10%, it leads to a decrease in IRR and net present valueby15% and 39%, respectively, and an increase in the capital recovery period to 3.3 years. But the increasing labor wages by 10% leads to a decrease in IRR and net present value by7%and 18%, respectively, and an increase in the capital payback period to 3.02 years. While increasing the price of containers by 10% leads to a decrease in IRR and net present valueby4% and 9%, respectively, and an increase in the capital recovery period to 2.91 years. As analyzing the sensitivity of the project to the decrease in the price of drinkable milk by10%, it leads to a decrease in IRR and the net present value by 22% and 56%, respectively, and an increase in the capital payback period to 3.6 years. But the decrease in the price of ice cream by 10%, it leads to a decrease in IRR and the net present value by 14%and 37%, respectively, and an increase in the capital recovery period to 3.27 years. While the decrease in the price of yogurt by 10% leads to a decrease in IRR and the net present value by 9%and21%, respectively, and an increase in the capital payback period to 3.06 years. The study recommends the need to design and implement indicative campaigns in the field of manufacturing and marketing oat milk and its products with the aim of increasing consumer awareness of the nutritional importance of these products, designing a geographical map that includes specifying areas that are suitable for establishing production units in them, opening multiple marketing targeting the segment of consumers who are ready to pay higher prices in exchange for obtaining natural dairy products free of preservatives, and expanding production for the purpose of exporting to North America, as it is the largest consumer of dairy alternatives in the world, especially yogurt and ice cream, and to America, as it is the largest consumer in the world of oat milk and its products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-based foods are increasing in popularity as more and more people are concerned about personal and planetary health. The consumption of plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs) has assumed a more significant dietary role in populations shifting to more sustainable eating habits. Plant-based drinks (PBDs) made from soya and other legumes have ample protein levels. PBDs that are appropriately fortified have adequate levels of important vitamins and minerals comparable to dairy milk. For the PBDs examined, the greenhouse gas emissions were diminished by 59–71% per 250 mL, and the land use and eutrophication impact was markedly less than the levels displayed by dairy milk. The water usage for the oat and soya drinks, but not rice drinks, was substantially lower compared to dairy milk. When one substitutes the 250 mL serving of dairy milk allowed within the EAT Lancet Planetary Health Diet for a fortified plant-based drink, we found that the nutritional status is not compromised but the environmental footprint is reduced. Combining a nutrient density score with an environmental index can easily lead to a misclassification of food when the full nutrition profile is not utilized or only a selection of environmental factors is used. Many PBDAs have been categorized as ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Such a classification, with the implied adverse nutritional and health associations, is inconsistent with current findings regarding the nutritional quality of such products and may discourage people from transitioning to a plant-based diet with its health and environmental advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fermentation process of plant-based yoghurt (PBY)-like products must be followed for consistency by monitoring, e.g., the pH, temperature, and lactic acid concentration. Spectroscopy provides an efficient multivariate in situ quality monitoring method for tracking the process. Therefore, quality monitoring methods for pea- and oat-based yoghurt-like products using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were developed and modeled. Plant-based yoghurt (PBY) was formulated by fermenting pea and oat plant drinks with a commercial starter culture based on Lactobacillus and Streptococcus strains. The main variance during fermentation was explained by spectral carbohydrate and protein bands with a notable shift in protein band peaks for the amide II band at 1548 cm−1 to 1576 cm−1. In addition to the identification of changed spectral bands during fermentation, FT-IR efficiently tracked the variation in oat and pea fermentation using pH as the main indicator. Prediction models with an R2 for the predicted value of pH as a fermentation indicator (R2 = 0.941) with a corresponding root-mean-squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.247 was obtained when compared to the traditional pH method.

Due to a growing challenge to feed the world's population and an increased awareness to minimize the impact of our food choices on climate change, a more plant-based diet has gained popularity with a growing number of plant-based products on the market. To stimulate a plant-based diet that also improves long-term health, data are needed to monitor whether these products are healthy alternatives to animal-based foods. Therefore, this study inventoried 916 plant-based meat, fish, and dairy alternatives from eight Dutch supermarkets. The nutritional quality of each product was assessed by (1) the Dutch food-based dietary guidelines and (2) the Nutri-Score. The results show that over 70% of meat, fish, and dairy alternatives have an A/B Nutri-Score (indicating high nutritional quality), but do not comply with the Dutch dietary guidelines. This is mainly due to high salt and low vitamin B12 and iron content (meat and fish alternatives) or low protein and calcium levels (dairy alternatives). In conclusion, the majority of plant-based products are nutritionally not full alternatives of the animal-based equivalents; however, there are still opportunities for reformulation. To aid the consumer in making healthy plant-based food choices, a better alignment between the Nutri-Score and the recommended dietary guidelines is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction of date syrup produces a large quantity of by-product known as date press cake (DPC). This study aimed to utilize valuable ingredients of the DPC by adding 0 (Control), 2, 4, and 6% (g/100 g) of its powder to drinkable yogurt before fermentation. The physicochemical properties, texture profile, and sensory evaluation of the treated DPC-based drinkable yogurt (DPC drinkable yogurt) were measured after fermentation and 5, 10, and 15 days of storage at 4 °C. The modeling of the most critical quality attributes, i.e., pH, acidity, syneresis, water holding capacity (WHC), viscosity, and color difference (ΔE), was conducted to predict their values based on the DPC percentage and storage period. The DPC drinkable yogurt's total solids, protein, and fat ranged between 11.19–11.83, 3.10–3.42, and 2.26–2.34%, respectively. Adding 2–6% DPC slightly increased the pH of DPC drinkable yogurt and decreased its acidity (p > 0.05) during storage. Increasing the DPC percent in DPC drinkable yogurt decreased the syneresis value, and WHC increased during storage. The color parameters and viscosity of DPC drinkable yogurt recorded the highest value at the end of the storage period for all treatments and increased steadily with the increase in DPC. The evaluation of the prediction models indicated that the predicted values were close to the actual experimental values for pH (R2 = 0.779), acidity (R2 = 0.973), syneresis (R2 = 0.961), WHC (R2 = 0.989), viscosity (R2 = 0.99), L* (R2 = 0.919), a* (R2 = 0.995), b* (R2 = 0.922), and ΔE (R2 = 0.921). The textural analysis indicated that increasing the concentration of DPC in the DPC drinkable yogurt increased hardness (g), springiness, cohesiveness, and gumminess and decreased adhesiveness and resilience during cold storage. The evaluation of sensory acceptance during the cold storage of the DPC drinkable yogurt was conducted by 30 expert panelists. Each panelist received four cups of 10 mL drinkable yogurt treatments at 5–10 °C. The evaluation results indicated that adding 2% of DPC was closest in overall sensory acceptability to the control sample (p < 0.05). This study revealed the potential use of DPC in drinkable yogurt as a natural, functional, and low-cost ingredient to improve the fiber content, physicochemical properties, and overall acceptability. Therefore, the fermented DPC-based yogurt drink has the potency to be a practical, value-added, and novel alternative to dairy-based yogurt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest in fermented plant-based milks and the availability of starter bacterial cultures, as well as equipment (devices that maintain the temperature at the appropriate level for fermentation, dedicated to use at home) have a resulted in many consumers not only producing plant-based milks at home, but also fermenting them. Moreover, the importance of homemade plant-based foods and beverages (including fermented products) significantly increased in recent years. The fermentation of commercial and homemade almond, oat and soy milks to obtain plant-based yogurt alternatives for fresh consumption was compared regarding microorganisms viability, physicochemical characteristics (pH, viscosity, stability), bioactive compounds changes (proteins, free amino acids, total carbohydrates, reducing sugars, polyphenolics and flavonoids) as well as antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, O2− radicals scavenging activities and reducing power). The results showed that both commercial and homemade plant-based milks can be successfully fermented, ensuring high number of Lactic Acid Bacteria, high content of bioactive ingredients and antioxidant activity. Homemade plant-based milks are an attractive alternative to their commercial counterparts, moreover, considering the content of bioactive ingredients (such as polyphenols and flavonoids) and antioxidant activity, homemade almond, oat and soy milks showed a more favorable profile.

Abstract Background Healthcare professionals are important sources of nutrition and health information for Americans. As plant-based (PB) dairy alternative products increase in popularity, concerns have been raised about their nutritional adequacy, and whether consumers understand nutritional differences to dairy. Healthcare professionals directly advise consumers on dietary choices, therefore we sought to examine their understanding and opinions of PB dairy alternatives. Methods We analyzed comments submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by health professionals (n = 191) in 2018–2019 in response to a request for public comment on the nutrition of PB dairy alternatives and the use of dairy terms like “milk”, “cheese”, and “yogurt” on their labels. Survey data from healthcare professionals (n = 417) was collected in 2020–2021. Comments and survey responses to open-ended questions were coded using template analysis and thematically analyzed. Logistic regression models examined perceptions across health professional characteristics for close-ended survey responses. Results Three-fourths of health professionals believe consumers are confused about the nutritional differences between dairy and PB dairy alternatives. Over half (53%) do not believe either product is nutritionally superior to the other. Many believe dairy products have higher nutrient value, but also believe PB dairy alternatives can be part of a healthful diet. Compared to other types of health professionals, dietetics professionals demonstrated a more accurate understanding of the nutritional value of both products and were more likely to believe nutrients like protein (OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.22–3.34, p = 0.006) and vitamin D (OR 2.46; 95% CI 1.48–4.09, p = 0.001) may be nutrients of concern for PB dairy alternative consumers. They were also more likely to believe consumers are confused about these products (OR 3.44; 95% CI 1.65–7.21; p = 0.001). Health professionals who submitted comments to the FDA showed stronger opinions in favor of PB dairy alternatives. Conclusions Although PB dairy alternatives have nutritional value in certain diets, responses from health professionals suggest that changing their labeling to be different than dairy may reduce confusion. Improved nutrition education among health professionals may also be necessary.