Plant-based drinks face multiple barriers as suitable dairy alternatives, according to researchers in Singapore, the UK, and China

Cow Milk

Singapore

Published Jan 15, 2024

Tridge summary

The demand for plant-based alternatives to traditional dairy milk has increased due to ethical, environmental, and health concerns, with plant-based drinks offering diverse nutritional benefits. Soy-based plant drinks have the highest protein content, followed by other plant-based alternatives, and also contain beneficial bioactive molecules. However, the plant-based drink industry faces challenges such as off-flavours, physical instability, and spoilage susceptibility, which requires strategic solutions for sustainable evolution. Collaboration, innovation, and adherence to ethical and labour standards are crucial for the sustainable development of the plant-based drink processing industry.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by a state-of-the-art LLM model and is intended for informational purposes only. It is recommended that readers refer to the original article for more context.

Original content

The global surge in demand for plant-based alternatives to traditional dairy milk has reached unprecedented levels, driven by ethical concerns, environmental sustainability and health consciousness. In recent years, plant-based drinks have emerged as a diverse and popular choice, offering a range of nutritional benefits and catering to lactose-intolerant individuals, as well as vegans and vegetarians. Concerns over dairy milk production’s environmental impact revolve around land and water use, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and animal welfare, and plant-based drink production generally requires fewer resources and generates fewer emissions. Nutrition-wise, plant-based drinks are said be a rich source of essential nutrients, including proteins, dietary fibre, fats, vitamins and minerals — beyond the calcium and protein associated with dairy milk. These alternatives are typically derived from plant sources such as nuts, grains, legumes and seeds; examples include almond, soy, oat, ...

Source: Beveragedaily