While oat, almond, and soy milk have emerged as popular alternatives to cow’s milk, a new study showed it may be lacking in proteins and essential amino acids.
Over the last decade, these plant-based beverages have also seen remarkable growth in the global market due to their environmentally-friendly approach. But extensive processing is causing chemical reactions that cut down the protein quality and, in some cases, produce cancer-causing compounds, claimed researchers from the University of Copenhagen.
Lead author Professor Marianne Nissen Lund, from the varsity’s Department of Food Science said that plant-based drinks cannot “replace cow’s milk” in terms of “proper nutrition”.
In the study, the team examined 10 different plant-based drinks and compared them with cow’s milk to understand whether chemical reactions during processing affect their nutritional quality.
Lund stated that “plant-based drinks undergo more intense heat treatments than the milk to extend their shelf life” — known as ultra-high temperature (UHT) treatment, This triggers a chemical reaction between protein and sugar — called “Maillard reaction” — and reduces the nutritional quality of the proteins.