Development and Nutritional, Physical, and Functional Assessment of a Plant-Based Oat-Almond Milk Alternative
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Plant-based milk alternatives are increasingly used by individuals with lactose intolerance, cow-milk allergy, vegan dietary preferences, and interest in plant-based foods. Oat and almond beverages have different nutritional and technological characteristics, and combining them may modify composition, viscosity, physical stability, and sensory acceptance. Objective: To formulate oat–almond plant-based beverages at different blending ratios and compare their physicochemical, proximate, short-term physical-stability, and sensory characteristics with single-source oat and almond beverages and cow milk. Methods: Six treatments were evaluated: cow milk (T0), 100% oat milk (T01), 100% almond milk (T02), 25% almond/75% oat (T1), 40% almond/60% oat (T2), and 50% almond/50% oat (T3). Moisture, protein, fat, ash, nitrogen-free extract, titratable acidity, pH, viscosity, five-day physical stability, and 9-point hedonic sensory scores were evaluated. Results: LMA and ETT were not relevant to this formulation study. Cow milk had the highest protein (3.30%) and fat (3.90%) levels. Plant-based protein ranged from 1.26% to 1.35%. Corrected NFE values ranged from 4.04% in almond milk to 6.35% in oat milk. T3 had the highest viscosity (10.80 cP) and the highest sensory scores among plant-based treatments, including overall acceptability of 7.45±0.33 compared with 7.80±0.33 for cow milk. T1 showed the least visible separation among blended formulations during the five-day observation. pH did not differ significantly across treatments. Conclusion: A 50:50 oat–almond blend provided the strongest sensory performance among the plant-based formulations, whereas the 25:75 almond–oat blend showed better short-term physical stability. The formulations were lower in protein than cow milk and were not micronutrient-fortified; therefore, nutritional equivalence to dairy milk cannot be assumed.
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
1. McClements DJ, Newman E, McClements IF. Plant-based milks: a review of the science underpinning their design, fabrication, and performance. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2019;18(6):2047–2067. doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12505.
2. Silva ARA, Silva MMN, Ribeiro BD. Health issues and technological aspects of plant-based alternative milk. Food Res Int. 2020;131:108972. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108972.
3. Kuksal K, Sharma A, Sharma A, Rani A, Kaur S, Nile AS, et al. Techno-functional properties of plant-based milk alternatives and beverages: a systematic review. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2026;25(3). doi:10.1111/1541-4337.70460.
4. Vanga SK, Raghavan V. How well do plant based alternatives fare nutritionally compared to cow's milk? J Food Sci Technol. 2018;55(1):10–20. doi:10.1007/s13197-017-2915-y.
5. Chalupa-Krebzdak S, Long CJ, Bohrer BM. Nutrient density and nutritional value of milk and plant-based milk alternatives. Int Dairy J. 2018;87:84–92. doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2018.07.018.
6. Harmer I, Craddock JC, Charlton KE. How do plant-based milks compare to cow's milk nutritionally? An audit of the plant-based milk products available in Australia. Nutr Diet. 2025;82(1):76–85. doi:10.1111/1747-0080.12906.
7. Pieterse E, Pretorius B, Schönfeldt HC. Comparative proximate analysis and nutrient labelling compliance of cow milk and plant-based milk alternatives: implications for consumer choice and food policy. Food Chem. 2026;502:147467. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.147467.
8. Rosane BP, Okoren L, Andersen BV, Byrne DV, Bügel SG. What is the role of plant-based alternatives to animal foods in the Great Food Transformation: a narrative review. J Nutr. 2026;156(2):101275. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.101275.
9. Zhou S, Jia Q, Cui L, Dai Y, Li R, Tang J, et al. Physical-chemical and sensory quality of oat milk produced using different cultivars. Foods. 2023;12(6):1165. doi:10.3390/foods12061165.
10. Cui L, Jia Q, Zhao J, Hou D, Zhou S. A comprehensive review on oat milk: from oat nutrients and phytochemicals to its processing technologies, product features, and potential applications. Food Funct. 2023;14(13):5858–5869. doi:10.1039/D3FO00893B.
11. Babolanimogadam N, Gandomi H, Akhondzadeh Basti A, Taherzadeh MJ. Nutritional, functional, and sensorial properties of oat milk produced by single and combined acid, alkaline, α-amylase, and sprouting treatments. Food Sci Nutr. 2023;11(5):2288–2297. doi:10.1002/fsn3.3171.
12. De Santis D, Frisoni R, Rossi A, Ferri S, Modesti M. Valorization of local agricultural byproducts for the development of functional oat-based milk formulations. Foods. 2025;14(8):1436. doi:10.3390/foods14081436.
13. Faraloni C, Albanese L, Chini Zittelli G, Meneguzzo F, Tagliavento L, Zabini F. New route to the production of almond beverages using hydrodynamic cavitation. Foods. 2023;12(5):935. doi:10.3390/foods12050935.
14. Balbino S, Cvitković D, Skendrović H, Dragović-Uzelac V. Optimisation of almond-based dairy-free milk alternative formulation fortified with myrtle, bay leaf and fennel extracts. Food Technol Biotechnol. 2023;61(3):378–388. doi:10.17113/ftb.61.03.23.8002.
15. Mantzourani I, Adamopoulou V, Bekatorou A, Plessas S. Updated insights into probiotic nut-based dairy alternatives: microbiological, antioxidant, and sensory aspects. Foods. 2026;15(14):2505. doi:10.3390/foods15142505.
16. Magwere AA, Keast R, Gamlath S, Nandorfy DE, Pematilleke N, Gambetta JM. A comparative study of the sensory and physicochemical properties of cow milk and plant-based milk alternatives. J Food Sci. 2025;90(7). doi:10.1111/1750-3841.70370.
17. Sotelo-Lara DM, Amador-Espejo GG, Álvarez-Araiza DF, Cordero-Rivera AK, Millán-Quintero KG, Campos-Vega R, et al. Ultrasound and thermosonication as promising technologies for processing plant-based beverages: a review. Food Technol Biotechnol. 2024;62(4):538–552. doi:10.17113/ftb.62.04.24.8624.
18. Asif N, Anwar O, Arif S, Anwar Z, Iahtisham-Ul-Haq, Ercisli S, et al. The rise of plant-based milk alternatives: exploring nutritional, health, and sustainability impacts. Food Chem X. 2026;34:103528. doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2026.103528.
19. AOAC International. Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International. 21st ed. Rockville, MD: AOAC International; 2019.
20. Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, Inc. Operating Instructions for Brookfield Dial Reading Viscometer. Manual No. M00-151-I0614. Middleboro, MA: Brookfield Engineering Laboratories; 2014.
21. Sohlberg E, Pasonen P, Alakomi HL, Suomi J. Food safety and nutritional aspects of plant-based dairy and meat alternatives: a review. Food Sci Nutr. 2026;14(7). doi:10.1002/fsn3.72062.