Non-dairy plant-based milk products as alternatives to conventional dairy products for delivering probiotics

Dairy products are important to the human diet and are one of the four essential food groups. Conventional fermented cow milk products possessed a variation of bioactive components that enhance the human body's physiological processes. However, traditional milk products can be replaced by non-dairy plant-based milk which is produced mainly from fruits and seeds such as soy, coconut, almond, rice, peanut, lupin, cashew, and hemp. Fermented plant-based milk is the outcome of intense bacterial activity of the starter cultures, leading to the production of lactic acid and biologically active compounds that adding nutritional and physiological value. In addition, the growth and viability of probiotics in plant-based milk are depended on several factors such as milk composition, fermentation process, type of probiotics, storage time and temperature, acidity, and packages. Therefore, this review focuses on the growth and viability of probiotics in fermented plant-based milk products during fermentation and refrigerated storage.

Automated summary

Dairy products are essential in the human diet, but can be replaced by plant-based milk. The growth and viability of probiotics in plant-based milk depend on various factors.