Perspective on oral processing of plant-based beverages.

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Nutritional Science
• Colloid Science

Background:

• Growing consumer demand for plant-based beverages (PB) driven by lactose intolerance, allergies, veganism, and health/environmental concerns.
• Increasing interest in reducing animal product consumption.
• The food industry is developing diverse plant-based beverage substitutes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of bovine milk's chemical composition, structure, features, and nutritional attributes for creating viable plant-based alternatives.
• To address sensory acceptability challenges, particularly for legume-based beverages.
• To explore the design and production of next-generation plant-based (NG-PB) beverages mimicking bovine milk's qualities.

Main Methods:

• Review of bovine milk's physicochemical and nutritional properties.
• Analysis of factors influencing sensory acceptability of plant-based beverages.
• Characterization of NG-PB foods as colloidal materials with diverse rheological properties.

Main Results:

• Plant-based beverages are a rapidly expanding market segment.
• Sensory attributes, especially for legume-based options, remain a key challenge.
• NG-PB foods exhibit a wide range of rheological characteristics, from low viscosity to solid-like textures.

Conclusions:

• Understanding bovine milk is crucial for developing effective plant-based alternatives.
• Addressing sensory and physicochemical properties is key to consumer acceptance of NG-PB foods.
• Plant-based beverages can be engineered to possess diverse textures and functionalities, similar to dairy products.