Comparison of milk with plant based alternatives

Sve veći broj potrošača odlučuje se na konzumaciju napitaka na biljnoj bazi. Razlozi su najčešće zdravstveni, primjerice zbog alergija na proteine kravljeg mlijeka i intolerancije na laktozu ili zbog odabira takvog načina života. Trenutno su na tržištu najpopularniji napitci od soje, zobi, badema, kokosa i riže. Alternativni biljni napitci predstavljaju tekućine koje se proizvode smanjenjem veličine sirovine, ekstrakcijom u vodi te homogenizacijom. Cilj im je svojim izgledom, okusom te nutritivnim sastavom oponašati kravlje mlijeko. Biljnim napitcima se pripisuju brojne pogodnosti zbog toga što ne sadrže proteine kravljeg mlijeka, laktozu ni kolesterol, međutim oni su svojim nutritivnim sastavom ipak manjkavi u usporedbi s kravljim mlijekom. Stoga se često obogaćuju proteinima, vitaminima i mineralnim tvarima te dodacima prehrani kako bi proizvodi bili što bolje kvalitete i stabilnosti. Potrošače privlače biljni napitci zbog toga što sadrže funkcionalno aktivne komponente sa svojstvima promicanja zdravlja, ali često neprivlačan okus napitka dovodi do neprihvatljivosti te u konačnici slabije konzumacije.An increasing number of consumers are opting to consume plant-based drinks. Most often it is for health reasons, for example due to allergies to cow's milk proteins and lactose intolerance or due to the choice of such a lifestyle. Currently, the most popular drinks on the market are soy, oats, almonds, coconut and rice. Alternative plant-based drinks are liquids that are produced by reducing the size of the raw material, extraction in water and homogenization. Their goal is to imitate cow's milk with its appearance, taste and nutritional composition. Numerous benefits are attributed to plant-based drinks because they do not contain cow's milk proteins, lactose or cholesterol, but they are still deficient in their nutritional composition compared to cow's milk. Therefore, they are often enriched with proteins, vitamins and minerals and dietary supplements in order for the products to be of the best quality and stability. Consumers are attracted to plant-based drinks because they contain functionally active components with health-promoting properties, but often the unattractive taste of the drink leads to unacceptability and ultimately lower consumption