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Plant-based milk, also known as a plant-based beverage in some countries, has been gaining popularity among Gen Z. Plant milk is a water-based plant extract. One of the main drawbacks of plant milk is its lower protein content compared to traditional dairy milk. As a result, it can only partially replace dairy milk, making it challenging for the vegan population to maintain a balanced diet. To address this issue, various companies are conducting research and introducing plant milk with higher protein content.
1. Goat pea milk
With 72% of protein in its protein concentrate goat pea milk or black eye milk can be a good source of plant-based protein. Better Pulse has selected this variety of crop as it is more resilient and has low water and fertilizer requirements. Another benefit of goat pea milk is it has less aftertaste.
2. Sunflower seed milk
Sunflower seed milk has 9g of protein in 80 ml of serving. It also has good fats and antioxidants that are beneficial to heart health.
3. Soy milk
Soy is always known for its protein content. Soy milk contains 7-20g protein per 236ml of serving. Although it has high protein content soy milk has an undesirable beany taste and is therefore less preferred.
4. Sesame milk
Sesame is also known as the queen of oil seeds. Sesame milk contains 8g protein per 236ml of serving. Sesame milk contains huge amounts of antioxidants such as sesamolin and sesamin. Sesame milk also contains lots of calcium and non-heme iron making it an ideal alternative to dairy milk.
5. Pistachio milk
Although pistachio milk contains around 1-2 g protein in 250ml it is still a great source of essential amino acids compared to other plant based milks.It also contains good amount of GABA (9.08 mg/100 mL) which is responsible for mood regulation.
At present search for an ideal alternative that can mimic dairy milk that is also environment friendly is still ongoing. Although we have options for high-protein plant-based milk, the protein quality is still not good as compared to dairy milk. Some other techniques such as precision fermentation are used to create dairy milk in labs that are more environment friendly.