Understanding the marketed plant-based beverages: From ingredients technological function to their nutritional value

Despite the market expansion of plant-based beverages (PBB) there is limited information about what is driven the market and the nutritional status of the existing beverages. The objective was to identify the existing gaps in the PBB market with particular emphasis on their composition and nutritional value. PBB are mainly based on individual flour/powder and blends and sunflower oil is frequently present, besides gellan gum to stabilize the emulsion. In general, PBB are low calorie drinks (10-84 Kcal/ 100 mL), with low amount of saturated fat (0.1-1.90 g/ 100 mL) and fibers, and large variation in proteins (0.1-12 g/ 100 mL). The calcium fortification of PBB is comparable to the calcium levels of whole cow's milk, although the vitamin fortification is low. Analysis reveals that salt and oil reduction, as well as fibers enrichment might drive future innovations.