Labelling nutrients on plant-based milk alternatives

Made from base ingredients such as soy, almonds or oats, plant-based milks provide an alternative to dairy milk for people with allergies or intolerances, or for those who choose dairy-free diets. Although non-dairy options are increasing in variety and availability, the nutritional content of certain minerals in each type largely remains unknown.

Researchers have now analysed plant-based beverages and found variability in mineral content by type and brand. The researchers presented their findings at the American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting held on 26 August, which featured nearly 11,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.

The findings indicate that certain plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs) can be a source of magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and selenium, but that there are differences across PBMA types and potential variability within a PBMA type. Overall they report that pea-based drinks had the most phosphorus, selenium and zinc, while soy milks had the most magnesium.

In Australia, nutrition information panels (NIP) on food labels provide information on the average quantity of energy in kilojoules and these nutrients:

• protein
• fat
• saturated fat
• carbohydrate
• sugars
• sodium — a component of salt

Essential minerals are only required to be included on the Nutrition Facts label under certain circumstances. For example, if a food is claimed to be a “good source of fibre” then the amount of dietary fibre in the food must be shown in the NIP.

The US researchers say micronutrients may need to be taken into account when considering the nutritional value of PBMS, especially when they are being used as a milk substitute.

“Plant-based milk alternatives have been growing in popularity, but there’s not a lot known about the mineral content of these products, especially in the US,” said Ben Redan, PhD, research chemist at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who is the principal investigator on the project. “Although they can be voluntarily declared, from a regulatory perspective, these minerals are not always required to be on the Nutrition Facts label.”

Redan and his colleague Lauren Jackson, PhD, performed the study, and they are both at the Institute for Food Safety and Health, a research consortium that includes the Illinois Institute of Technology, FDA and the food industry.

Redan and Jackson chose to measure the amount of magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium in plant-based milk alternatives because these essential minerals are not required on the Nutrition Facts label and are components of dairy milk. In fact, dairy milk is a key contributor of these micronutrients, and people’s bodies can’t make them. Because people must instead consume foods and beverages with these minerals in them, it’s important to know how much is provided by various milk alternatives.

The researchers analysed a selection of locally available plant-based beverages that were sold under a variety of brand names. Each product was made from a single base ingredient, such as almond, cashew, coconut, hemp, oat, pea, rice or soy. A technique called inductively coupled-mass spectrometry quantified the minerals present in a total of 85 samples. Using statistical analyses, the team found that the mineral content varied significantly across different product types — for example, soy-based versus almond-based drinks — and even between brands of the same type of product. When considering the amount of each specific mineral, they found that pea-based drinks had the most phosphorus, zinc and selenium, while soy drinks had the highest amounts of magnesium, on average.

Of all the samples analysed, only pea- and soy-based drinks had higher levels of the four essential minerals than cow’s milk, with pea-based drinks containing about 50% higher levels of phosphorus, zinc and selenium. “These plant-based milk alternatives could be important sources of these micronutrients if you’re trying to reach the recommended dietary allowances for them,” Redan said.

In the end, the researchers hope that their data about essential minerals will help consumers make informed dietary decisions about non-dairy plant-based drink products.

Image credit: iStock.com/MurzikNata