Evolution from Traditional Dairy based Fermented Beverages to Emerging Plant-Based Alternatives

Abstract

Fermented beverages have received significant research and industry attention due to recent findings showing the association between consumption of these beverages and nutritional, functional, and medicinal benefits. Fermented beverages are produced using various substrates including dairy, cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds through microbial fermentation resulting in beverages with probiotic and other functional ingredients, such as bioactives, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals beneficial for human health. Moreover, fermentation brings a lot of value to the product due to extended shelf-life, enhanced sensory characteristics, increased digestibility and availability of nutrients, improved safety from microorganisms and pathogenic strains. There are various kinds of dairy fermented beverages including kefir, yogurt drinks, lassi, buttermilk, kumis, ayran known for their probiotic and nutritional value. However, cereal-based fermented drinks still remain an important part of the daily diets and food supply in many countries. Due to increasing cases of lactose intolerance and veganism, environmental sustainability, and preventive nutrition, there is a growing tendency to shift the demand from milk-based to plant-based fermented beverages. The fermentation method, bacteria utilized, qualities, health consequences, industrial practices, and future prospects of fermented beverages are all thoroughly reviewed in this paper, which covers both conventional and novel fermented beverages.