Millet Milk As A Substitute For Dairy Milk In The Dairy Industry

Introduction Around the world, the intake of milk and milk-based products is rapidly increasing. The majority of people often drink cow’s milk, which is regarded as a healthy whole food that contains important nutrients including fat, proteins, and carbohydrates. But it is only recommended as a complete meal for infants older than a year due to the restricted availability of iron, folate, and certain amino acids in cow’s milk (Sarni & Baroni, 2019). Despite their nutritious quality, the need for novel plant-based milk alternatives is driving the food industry and the world market due to the rising prevalence of cow’s milk allergy, hypercholesterolemia, lactose intolerance, and changes in eating habits toward vegan and vegetarian food. The financially underprivileged communities of developing nations as well as those residing in areas where the availability of cow’s milk is insufficient could benefit from plant-based milk products (Sethi et al., 2016).

- Khumbaron Kiranbala Kabui and K.A. Athmaselvi

Non-dairy/plant-based milk substitutes

Globally, the industry for non-dairy or plant-based milk substitutes is one of the quickest growth rates in the functional and specialized beverage category of innovative food product development. Moreover, plant-based beverages are more popular now than cow’s milk because they contain no lactose or cholesterol (Munekata et al., 2020). These milk substitutes can be obtained from cereals (rice, oat, millet), legumes (soy), nuts (almond, hazelnut), seeds (hemp), and other sources. Improving the nutritional quality and sensory of plant-based milk alternatives may play a significant role in raising awareness of the product (Durand et al., 2003). The basic processes in the development of plant-based milk alternatives include wet grinding, filtration, ingredient addition, sterilization, homogenization, aseptic packing, and refrigeration (Malyala et al., 2018).

Need for dairy milk substitutes