Optimisation of Plant-based Milk Formulation using Hazelnut, Sunflower Seed and Pumpkin Seed by Mixture Design

Abstract

The preference for plant-based foods has been increased in recent years. Animal milk alternatives, named as plant-based milk, are produced from different oilseeds, nuts and cereals by a series of processing steps. These plant-based milk have different advantages over animal milk such as being lactose and cholesterol-free and having a high content of phenolics, minerals and unsaturated fatty acids. On the contrary, they generally have a lower content of proteins and low sensorial acceptability. To overcome these disadvantages, an optimisation by mixture design was carried out to produce high-quality plant-based milk in terms of chemical, physical and sensorial properties. The results showed that dry matter (7.7-11.5 g/100 mL) and ash (0.11-0.46 g/100 mL) content of the samples increased using a combination of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging activity of plant-based milk were governed by the ratio of sunflower seeds. Hazelnut ratio in the samples had a positive impact on protein content (0.17-1.85 g/100 mL), whiteness index, serum stability and sensorial properties. The optimum formulation was determined as 66.3% hazelnut, 0% pumpkin seed and 33.7% sunflower seed. Verification studies showed a good agreement between theoretical and experimental responses.