Plant-based milk alternative refers to non-dairy vegan milk made from breakdown of plant material like cereals, legumes oilseeds, nuts that are extracted in water and further homogenized to provide a creamy mouth feel along with flavor and aroma. It is a fast growing segment in the newer food product development category. Plant sources like almonds, soy, cashew, rice are utilized due to the nutritional properties of these sources for preparation of plant-based milk which is lactose-free, cholesterol free and low in calories. Dairy milk allergy, lactose intolerance, hormonal imbalance, calorie concern and more preference to vegan diets has influenced consumers towards choosing plant-based milk alternatives and it serves as an inexpensive and sustainable alternative to dairy milk. New and advanced non-thermal processing technologies are being developed for tackling the problems related to increase of shelf life, emulsion stability, nutritional completeness and sensory acceptability. Plant-based milk alternatives is a major research area in food science and technology and widely investigated through the development of advanced processing, technological interventions and fortification techniques for developing a nutritionally complete product with high overall acceptability.

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PLANT - BASED MILK ALTERNATIVES
MIT ADT UNIVERSITY, PUNE
MIT COLLEGE OF FOODTECHNOLOGY
• Presented by –
Name - RADHIKA YADAV
Enrollment No. - MITU17BTFT0118
•Name of Guide:
Prof. G. S. Shinde
•Name of Course Teacher:
Prof. S. J. Raichurkar

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• INTRODUCTION
• TYPES
• SOME FACTS ABOUT ANIMAL MILK
• NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON
• MANUFACTURING PROCESS
• CURRENT SCENARIO

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• TECHNOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS
• FUTURE ASPECTS
• BENEFITS
• DRAWBACKS
• CONCLUSION
• REFERENCES

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• Plant based milk refers to non-dairy vegan beverages made from a
water-based plant extract which are alternatives to dairy milk and
provide a creamy mouth feel along with flavor and aroma.
• They have been consumed since the 13th century and were known as
"milk-like plant juices".
• Across various cultures, they have been used as a traditional beverage
and a flavorful ingredient in sweet and savory dishes, such as the use
of coconut milk in curries and also to make ice creams, vegan cheese,
and yogurt.

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• Plant based milks are derived from nuts, legumes, cereals, and seeds.
For e.g. – Almonds, Oats, Coconut, Soy, Cashew, Rice, etc.

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• Plant-based milk alternatives are fluids that result from breakdown
(size reduction) of plant material (cereals, pseudo-cereals, legumes
oilseeds, nuts) that are extracted in water and further
homogenization results in particle size in range of 5-20 μm which
imitates dairy milk in appearance and consistency.
• To meet their nutritional requirements, fortification with protein,
vitamins and minerals is performed in preparation of plant-based
milk substitutes and calcium fortification is widely adopted.
E.g. – Calcium Tri Phosphate and Calcium Carbonate.

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• Cereals and legumes are accepted as functional food and
nutraceuticals due to presence of health promoting components
such as minerals, vitamins and antioxidants and in regard to this
few legumes and oilseeds have been utilized for preparation of
non-dairy, healthy, affordable and nutritious plant based milk
alternatives.
• All plant-based milks are preferred over animal milk by consumers
who are lactose intolerant or are allergic to milk proteins because
of their benefits of being lactose free, cholesterol free and low in
calories.

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Type of milk
Functional or
bioactive
component
Health benefits
Soy milk
Isoflavones
Protective effect against cancer,
cardiovascular disease and
osteoporosis
Phytosterols Cholesterol lowering properties
Peanut milk
Phenolic
compounds
Protective role against oxidative
damage and diseases like
coronary heart disease and
various cancers
Table 1: Types of Plant Milks

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Rice milk
Phytosterols,
especially β-
sitosterol and γ-
oryzanol
Lowers cholesterol, hypertension,
anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory,
anti-oxidative effects
Oat milk β-Glucan
Lowers cholesterol and boosts
immunity
Sesame
milk
lignans such as
sesamin,
sesamolin,
sesaminol
antioxidative, anticarcinogenic,
antitumor, and antiviral activities
Flax milk
Alpha-linolenic
acid and lignans
Lowers blood glucose level,
protective effects against cancer,
diabetes and cardiovascular
diseases

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Almond Milk
Alpha-tocopherol,
Arabinose
Powerful antioxidant which
plays a critical role in
protecting against free-
radical reactions
Prebiotic properties
Coconut milk
Lauric acid
Promotes brain
development, boosts
immune system and
maintains the elasticity of
the blood vessels
Vitamin E
Fights against ageing,
nourishes skin

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Other Plant-Based milks such as the following are prepared and
commercially available as well in some western countries –
1. Grains: barley, maize, millet, rye, sorghum, wheat
2. Pseudocereals: amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa
3. Nuts: cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, pistachio, walnut
4. Seeds: chia seed, hemp seed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed,
melon seed
5. Other: potato (tuber), tiger nut (tuber)

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Figure 1: Quality of Plant milk
Source: fermentation of plant milk, Applied Biotechnology

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Traditionally milk has been considered as a complete food, but despite its
benefits there are several harmful aspects of it like –
• Milk allergy – due to Casein.
• Mucous formation
• Lactose intolerance – due to absence of Lactase.
• Chemical residues in milk.
• Flatulence
• Nausea
• Diarrhea

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• Presence of hormones in milk (Bovine growth hormone, oxytocin)
due to hormonal injections to cows causes hormonal imbalance in
humans.
• Repeated impregnation of cows.
• The greatest requirement of milk is only during infancy, it is not
meant for lifelong use and no animal except humans consume milk
lifelong.
• The composition of milk of every species is different and most
suitable to its own species. Except humans no animal drinks the milk
of any other animal

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• Plant-based milks are inappropriate alternatives to breast milk, infant
formula or cow’s milk in the first 2 years of life as they are low in
protein, fat, calories and iron.
• For children above 2 years of age, who cannot consume milk due to
medical reasons, fortified plant-based milks are recommended which
should contain at least 6g of protein per 250 ml.
• Plant based milks that contain less protein than cow’s milk are
required by law to have advice on the label that the product is not
suitable as a complete milk replacement for children under 5 years
old.

16. 16Graph 1: Comparative environmental impact of various milks
Source: Poore and Nemecek, Science, Additional calculations, 2018.

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Nutritional content of cow, soy, almond and oat milk
Cow milk* Soy milk*
Almond
milk
Oat milk
Calories
(cup, 243 g)
149 80 39 120
Protein
(g)
7.69 6.95 1.55 3
Fat
(g)
7.93 3.91 2.88 5
Saturated fat
(g)
4.55 0.5 0 0.5
Table 2: Nutritional Comparison of milks

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Carbohydrate
(g)
11.71 4.23 1.52 16
Sugars
(g)
12.32 1 0 7
Calcium
(mg)
276 301 516 350
Potassium
(mg)
322 292 176 390
Vitamin B 12
(µg)
1.10 2.70 0 1.2
Vitamin A
(IU)
395 503 372 267
Vitamin D
(IU)
124 119 110 144
Cholesterol
(mg)
24 0 0 0
Source: Vanga, S. K., Raghavan, Vijaya, "How well do plant based alternatives fare nutritionally
compared to cow's milk?“, Journal of Food Science and Technology, 55, 10-20, November 2017.

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There are little variations in the manufacturing of plant milks according to
their type but the general technique for plant milk involves the following
steps:
• Cleaning, soaking and dehulling the seeds/beans.
• Grinding of the material to produce a slurry, powder or emulsion.
• Heating the processed material to 65⁰C - 70⁰C to denature enzymes
(lipoxygenase) for minimizing their effects on the flavor of milk.
• Removing sedimentary solids by filtration.
• Addition of water, sugar and other additives to improve flavour, aroma,
and nutritional value.

20. 20• Calcium carbonate and tri-calcium phosphate salts are used as
fortificants, along with a combination of sequestering agents
(Potassium Citrate) and stabilizing agents (Carrageenan).
• Pasteurizing the liquid at 72⁰C for 15 seconds.
• Homogenizing the liquid to break down fat globules and particles
for a smooth mouthfeel.
• Packaging, labelling and storage at 34 °F (1 °C).
https://youtu.be/irihEckcyyw

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•Plant-based milk alternatives are a rising trend which serve as an
alternate to animal milk for the lactose intolerant, dairy allergic and in
places where dairy milk supply is insufficient.
•According to an Allied Market Research, the global dairy alternatives
industry was estimated to be worth $16.5 billion in 2019 and is
projected to reach $38.2 billion by 2026.
•Currently the plant milk market is concentrated with soy and almond
milk with the Asian Pacific region having the largest share in the
market.

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Graph 2: Growth rate of plant and animal milk in various regions
Source – Jeremy Gerrard, “Milk alternatives on the rise”, April 2016.
• X – axis:
region
• Y – axis: %
growth rate

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Silk is a plant – based milk manufacturing company that originated in
1977 in Colorado and manufactures different variants of almond,
cashew, oat, coconut and soy milks with 50% more calcium than dairy
milk.
At Silk they have been able to strike the right balance between taste
and texture and develop minimally-processed dairy alternatives
resulting in rise in consumer acceptance and demand.

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With the use of novel technologies like UHT, Aseptic packaging and
compliance with allergen safety standards along with a non – GMO
initiative their vegan milks are a sustainable choice worldwide.

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• Ultra high temperature treatment (at high temperatures 135–150 °C
for few seconds) have been investigated by several researchers which
involves direct heating methods like steam injection and steam
infusion or indirect heating in plate or tubular heat exchangers.
• Ultra high pressure homogenization (UHPH) is one of the upcoming
processing technologies which results in smaller and more uniform
sized particles, can be effectively utilized to improve the stability of
plant-based milk.

26. 26•Two UHPH treatments, 200 and 300 MPa, were applied to the soy
milk at an inlet temperature of 40 °C and compared with normal and
UHT treated soy milk with results indicating that UHPH treatment
significantly improved the emulsion stability by disrupting the colloidal
particles and also showed a reduction in the microbial load.
•Another promising technology for homogenization is ultrasound
processing and is studied for cow’s milk but its use in plant-based milk
is yet to be explored.
•Advanced non-thermal technologies like pulse electric field
technology are targeting factors like providing low cost, nutritious
newer alternatives to the population.

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• New and advanced non-thermal processing technologies such as
ultra high temperature treatment, ultra high pressure
homogenization, pulsed electric field processing are being
researched for tackling the problems related to increase of shelf life,
emulsion stability, nutritional completeness and sensory
acceptability of the final product.
• To enable plant-based milk as a nutritionally equivalent alternative,
fortification with a suitable form of fortificant using appropriate
technology, and maintaining the bioavailability of nutrients
throughout the storage is a major area of research.

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1. Solution for lactose intolerance
2. Wide variety of flavors and nutritional content
3. Do not contain hormones.
4. Less usage of water compared to dairy milk
5. Creates fewer emissions
6. Animal cruelty free
7. Sustainable

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1. Presence of allergens
2. Some lack essential nutrients
3. Fortification is required
4. Thin consistency of few milks.
5. Some types cost more than dairy milk

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Milk allergy, lactose intolerance, calorie concern, prevalence of
hypercholesterolemia and more preference to vegan diets has influenced
consumers towards choosing plant-based milk alternatives which are
nutritious and sustainable milk alternatives to the population.
Plant-based milk alternatives are a major research area in the newer
product development category of food science and widely investigated
through the development of advanced processing, technological
interventions, fortification techniques, for developing a nutritionally
complete product with high overall acceptability.

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• Jeremy Gerrard, “Milk alternatives are on the rise,” April 2016. [Online].
Available:https://www.foodengineeringmag.com/articles/955469-milks-
alternatives-on-the-rise
• M. K. Gupta, Foods that are killing you: Some facts about milk, 9th
Edition, New Delhi: Pustak Mahal, 2012, pp. 122 – 134.
• M. Tangyu, J. Muller, C. Bolten, C. Wittman, “Fermentation of plant-
based milk alternatives for improved flavour and nutritional value,”
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, vol. 103, pp. 9263–9275,
November 2019.
• Oliver Franklin-Wallis, "White gold: the unstoppable rise of alternative
milks“, The Guardian, January 2019. [Online].
Available: https://www.theguardian.com/unstoppable-rise-of-plant-milk

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• S. Singhal, R. Baker, S. Baker, “A Comparison of the Nutritional Value of
Cow’s Milk and Non-dairy Beverages,” Journal of Gastroenterology
Nutrition, vol. 64, pp. 799-805, May 2017.
• S. Sethi, S. K. Tyagi, Rahul K. Anurag, “Plant-based milk alternatives an
emerging segment of functional beverages: a review,” Journal of Food
Science and Technology, vol. 53, pp. 3408–3423, September 2016.
• S. K. Vanga, V. Raghavan "How well do plant based alternatives fare
nutritionally compared to cow's milk?“, Journal of Food Science and
Technology, vol. 55, pp. 10–20, November 2017.

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