17 December 2024

Plant-based milk substitutes have lost out to natural milk in terms of benefits and nutrition

Milk-like drinks made from plant-based raw materials such as grains, seeds, legumes or nuts have recently gained popularity. Some consider them healthier than regular cow's milk. However, Italian and Danish scientists have clearly demonstrated in a joint study that this is a misconception.

In the research paper, an article about which was recently published by the journal Food Research International, experts in biomedical and food sciences from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Brescia analyzed 10 samples of plant-based beverages made from soy, oats, rice and almonds, as well as their mixture. The nutritional properties of the milk substitutes were compared with those of two types of ultra-pasteurized cow's milk with a fat content of 3.5% and 1.5%.

The scientists found significant variations in the content of essential amino acids, protein and other substances in the samples, but came to a clear conclusion: the nutritional value of plant-based drinks is inferior to conventional milk. Moreover, some of them contained potentially dangerous compounds that can cause harm at high concentrations.

Explaining the results, the researchers noted that cow's milk usually reaches the table in virtually unchanged form, undergoing a gentle heat treatment in production. The plant base, from which milk analogs are created, is subjected to more intense exposure before being turned into a beverage.

In particular, experts have found that as a result of the so-called Maillard reaction, which occurs between amino acids and sugars when heated, proteins in plant-based beverages are modified to a greater extent than proteins in conventional ultra-pasteurized milk. In addition, most of the surrogates were inferior to natural milk in terms of protein and essential amino acids.

The milk samples considered in the study contained 3.4 grams of protein per 100 milliliters, compared with eight of the 10 substitutes, which ranged from 0.4 to 1.1 grams. The exceptions were two beverages that included soy.

All plant-based samples had lower levels of essential amino acids than cow's milk, but seven of the 10 beverages outperformed the natural product in terms of sugar content.

In addition, the plant-based beverages had higher amounts of Maillard reaction products than milk. What alerted the researchers was that acrylamide was found in four oat- and almond-based samples. According to the scientists, this compound, which is considered carcinogenic, could have formed as a result of roasting the ingredients during beverage production. Traces of acrylamide were also found in other foods - bread, cookies, coffee beans, roasted potatoes and chips.

A few other plant samples contained α-dicarbonyl compounds and oxymethylfurfural (5-hydroxymethylfurfural, HMF). These chemicals can be harmful to health, but in the beverages examined, their concentrations, as well as the acrylamide content, were low and did not pose a threat.

The researchers concluded by noting that their findings underscore how little is known about compounds that are formed during food processing. According to the authors, more attention should be paid to studying the products of the Maillard reaction because some of these compounds may contribute to inflammation in the body and correlate with an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.

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