Vol. 10, Special Issue 11 (2021)

Author(s):
Sunidhi, Geetanjali Singh, Rishika Vij and Shivani Katoch

Abstract:
There are different types of vegan milk available in India. Due to rising issues associated with cow milk such as cow milk allergy, lactose intolerance, calorie concerns, the incidence of hypercholesterolemia, nowadays the preference has been drawn towards vegan milk. Vegan milk is basically plant-based juice that resembles the taste, texture and qualities of conventional animal milk. Generally, plant milk aims to contain the same amount of nutrients as that of animal milk, but as these are manufactured using processed extracts of the starting plant, vegan milks are lower in nutrient density than dairy milk. So, are fortified during manufacturing to add precise level of micronutrients, commonly calcium, vitamin A and D. Presence of different bioactive phytochemicals, absence of cholesterol, high energy input given for the production, limited availability of milk in some region, emergence of vegan diet and limited resources like landmass, feed, etc. are acting as the driving force to search the alternative source of milk. Plant-based milk alternatives have an enormous expansion prospective for health food market, and needs to be widely investigated through the development of advanced processing, technological interventions, fortification techniques to develop a nutritionally complete beverage with high overall acceptability to the consumer.