Never before has the simple act of drinking ‘milk’ felt so elaborate.
“What kind of milk do you want with that?” asks the barista. “There's dairy, soy, almond, rice, oat, hemp, coconut, imitation dairy or a new kind of faux ‘mylk’ made with vegetables?” This extensive list is long enough to send your head into a spin – and that’s before you’ve even had a chance to slurp your milky morning cuppa.
If a milky substance can be made from blending and straining the raw plant material with water, you have a milk alternative.
But love it or loathe it, there’s no changing it: non-dairy milk alternatives are an intrinsic part of our current global foodscape.
“We are seeing more and more milk alternatives enter the market every year,” says nutritionist and nutrition lecturer at Tess Dingle. “If a milky substance can be made from blending and straining the raw plant material with water, you have a milk alternative.”
Technical advancements in the field are also enabling the list of dairy milk alternatives to extend. A number of start-ups across the world are racing to invent an by artificially reproducing the proteins in curds (casein) and whey.
Scientists have also created additional plant-based milks that look, taste and perform just like dairy milk does. The that mimics dairy milk’s mouth-feel and temperature resistance was launched in Sweden last year.
Also in 2022, hit the Australian market. Developed by in Chile, this plant-based milk uses AI to create an ever-changing recipe that imitates the taste, flavour and functionality of dairy milk.
Molecular nutrition team leader at NotCo, Ana Batista, tells SBS the milk’s current recipe includes pea protein, chicory fibre, cabbage and pineapple juice, coconut and sunflower oils, and some additives to regulate the pH value and acidity.
“We have a patented AI algorithm called Giuseppe that helps us to come up with recipes,” Batista explains over the phone from Chile. “We collect data about the way the milk performs after conducting experiments on it in our labs. We feed the data to Giuseppe, which then suggests ingredients we should mix together. Those ingredients get tested in our R&D department and so on. It’s a constant feedback and recipe modification loop.”
Mylk v milk
So how does this milk stack up against the ‘real’ dairy milk it’s trying to replicate?
Functionally, plant-based milk performs in the same way as dairy milk. But nutritionally, Batista comfortably states, it is not the same product. It's also not trying to compete on the issue of health benefits right now.
She explains that the beverage includes fibre, so it may offer gut health and immunity benefits. It also provides similar macronutrients (including protein) as dairy milk but the Australian product does not confer the same micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).
“Our focus right now is to mimic the sensory properties of dairy milk – not the nutritional properties. As we continue to develop the recipe, at some point we might provide a product that is nutritionally identical to dairy milk. We believe that is doable and it is a future goal we are working towards.”
As we continue to develop the recipe, at some point we might provide a product that is nutritionally identical to dairy milk.
Batista says healthy people can consume milk regularly. However, anyone who drinks milk to boost their calcium levels should talk to a dietitian about choosing more suitable dairy alternatives. Lactating or pregnant women, vulnerable populations and children under age five should also obtain their calcium from a different source.
“This milk should be placed in the beverage section of the nutritional [not in the milk, yoghurt and cheese section]. Although it’s made of plant-based ingredients, this milk is not a vegetable. You should always complement your diet with other sources of nutrients.”
Dingle believes this piece of advice should apply to all non-dairy milk available on the market. “Each type of plant-based milk has its own pros and cons. But none of them come close to dairy for calcium content unless fortified,” clarifies Dingle.
“No plant-based milk contains vitamin B12, A or D naturally, but they do contain some potassium and phosphorus. Dairy milk is a significant source of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and some alternative milks are fortified with B2, but they typically lack vitamin C.”
Each type of plant-based milk has its own pros and cons. But none of them come close to dairy for calcium content unless fortified.
Dingle believes soy milk is the best performer, nutritionally, when compared to cow’s milk, especially for protein content and quality. “Non-soy dairy alternatives have a much lower protein content, typically less than
It’s also important to be aware that ‘faux milks’ are processed foods, which makes them discretionary according to the . “They tend to be high in sugar to make them palatable. They may also contain up to 90 water and just three-to-four per cent of raw plant material (nuts, oats, legumes).”
Where does that leave people who love the practice of drinking milk but don’t want to consume cow’s milk?
Dingle suggests that you could make your own plant-based milk at home and increase the raw plant material content – just remain aware of the need to obtain key nutrients from other food sources.
“Dairy milk is used in so much of our diet, there is obviously a demand to replace it rather than omit it altogether. I don’t think Australians are about to give up their beloved flat white any time soon.”
