Oats give milk substitutes their allergen-free status.
The growing number of consumers choosing plant-based milk substitutes in place of dairy or animals has created new opportunities for these products. According to Toronto-based market research firm Technavio, the global market for dairy substitutes is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 10% between 2020 and 24.
As an alternative to soy and almonds, oats have one important benefit: according to the US Food and Drug Administration, they do not contain any of the eight major allergens. Financial support has also been added to the oat-based category. In the previous year, Oprah Winfrey and Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, along with Blackstone Growth, contributed $200 million to Oatly, a company that produces goods based on oats.
Formulators should be aware of the oats’ processing methods and how to address taste concerns when investigating oat-based milk substitutes. According to Darren Schubert, vice president of sales and marketing, western operations, at Grain Millers, Inc., Junction City, Ore., oat flavor is not as neutral as almond flavor.
“It truly encouraged consumers to explore these various products,” he remarked regarding milk substitutes made with almonds. “It’s a good neutral product.”
He claimed that improving the mouthfeel of oat-based milk substitutes involves raising their solids content. Hydrolyzation also has advantages.
Mr. Schubert remarked, “That’s definitely where you see a lot of these really popular oat milks.” They’ve undergone hydrolysis. It lessens the grassiness. It produces a product that is more palatable.
Microground oat bran could be incorporated into a plant-based milk substitute recipe, but it shouldn’t be used as a stand-in, according to Rajen Mehta, PhD, senior director of specialty ingredients at Grain Millers. Low-viscosity oat flours are frequently used in plant-based milk substitutes, taking the place of all dairy solids.
There is a faint “oaty” flavor, but thanks to advancements in technology and collaboration with flavor companies, this flavor can be virtually eliminated, leaving only a pleasant, sweet quality, according to Dr. Mehta. Consequently, even if there is It has a faint aftertaste of oats, but it’s not offensive.
Even though oats don’t contain gluten, they could still get contaminated in the supply chain by grains that do. Grain Millers’ certified gluten-free oats have less than 10 parts per million of gluten, which is less than the US Food and Drug Administration’s threshold of less than 20 ppm.
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Chickpeas are not a major allergen, just like oats. Chickpea isolates are offered by Rehovot, Israel-based startup ChickP Ltd. for use in plant-based dairy substitutes. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is where the plant protein was developed. Up to 90% of the protein in chickpea seeds is extracted by technology. Owing to its high solubility and silky viscosity, the component creates an emulsion or gel that aids in the formation of a solid final product.
According to the company, the neutral flavor of ChickP protein eliminates the need for sugar or flavor additives in milk substitutes.