REVIEW article
Front. Food. Sci. Technol.
Sec. Food Product Design
Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frfst.2025.1593870
Plant-based milk substitutes: Sources, production, and nutritional, nutraceutical and sensory qualities
Provisionally accepted
Emmanuel Anyachukwu Irondi1*
Hope Tomiloba Aina1
Yunus Temitayo Imam1,2*
Abigael Odunayo Bankole1
Arinze Anyiam3Abdulazeez Olamilekan Elemosho1
Babajide Kareem1Titilayo Oluwayemisi Adewumi1- 1Department of Biochemistry, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria, Malete, Nigeria
- 2Department of Biochemistry, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria
- 3Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Igbinedion University Okada, Okada, Edo, Nigeria
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Over the years, humans and the dairy industry have depended mainly on animals, especially cattle, for their milk need. Whether for direct consumption or for the production of value-added dairy products, animal milk seems to be the gold standard, leading to a rise in the price of animal milk. The exorbitant cost of dairy milk and products, coupled with the susceptibility of some consumers to lactose intolerance, necessitates finding non-dairy milk substitutes to meet human nutritional needs. Thus, to ensure a sustainable food system, in which milk is provided sufficiently and affordably for all, recent studies have demonstrated that plant-based milk substitutes (PBMS) can serve as an alternative to dairy milk in human nutrition. PBMS are prepared from different edible plant sources, including cereals, legumes, nuts, corms, roots and tubers, fruits, and vegetables. Studies have also shown that they are rich sources of nutrients and nutraceuticals, capable of nourishing the body and providing some health benefits. Bioactive compounds, including bioactive peptides, polyphenolics compounds, flavones, and anthocyanins have been reported in PBMS. These bioactive compounds are thought to confer certain health advantages, such as antidiabetic and antihypertensive effects. The sensory qualities of different PBMS have also been reported. The aim of this review was to discuss PBMS in human nutrition, emphasizing their sources, production, and nutritional, nutraceutical and sensory qualities.
Keywords: Plant-based milk, Dairy milk, Non-dairy milk, nutrition, nutraceutical, Lactose Intolerance
Received: 14 Mar 2025; Accepted: 16 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Irondi, Aina, Imam, Bankole, Anyiam, Elemosho, Kareem and Adewumi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Emmanuel Anyachukwu Irondi, Department of Biochemistry, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria, Malete, Nigeria
Yunus Temitayo Imam, Department of Biochemistry, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.