Milk choice has come a long way since the olden times of “third place” cafes, when maybe the most progressive shop in the neighborhood would carry soy milk alongside the gallon jugs of fully hormonized cow’s milk.
Despite the subsequent boom in alternative milks, relatively little academic research has detailed the sensory and chemical differences in alt milk types when combined with coffee.
Yet a recent study from researchers in South Korea that specifically looked at nut milks shows that liquids in the category may stand up favorably to cow’s milk, particularly on the human health front.
Published July 7 in Scientific Reports, the study evaluated coffee beverages made with almond, cashew, hazelnut and walnut milks — both roasted and unroasted — against cow’s milk for espresso-based preparations using a roasted Brazilian arabica coffee.
Overall Findings
Cow’s milk was by a fair margin the overall favorite among the 17 trained sensory panelists, although various nut milks produced under laboratory conditions for the study were comparable in specific categories like sweetness, bitterness and texture.
Just as significant, nut milks generally showed several favorable characteristics associated with health, such as lower levels of saturated fat and higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids. Alt milks derived from roasted nuts generally exhibited higher antioxidant activity and higher levels of desirable polyphenols.
“These findings provide valuable insights into formulating plant-based coffee beverages that balance health benefits with sensory appeal,” the study states. “This study lays the groundwork for developing next-generation functional coffee drinks using optimized nut-based milk systems by identifying the key chemical contributors to both desirable and undesirable sensory attributes.”
The study was funded by two separate grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea. The authors, who were primarily affiliated with Dongguk University in Seoul, declared no competing interests.
Sensory Results
Among all nut-based sensory challengers to cow’s milk, cashew milk pulled in the overall highest overall desirability score, followed by almond milk and roasted hazelnut milk. Roasted walnut milk received the lowest “overall acceptance” score.
Cow’s milk was also found to have the most sweetness, second-least bitterness (behind unroasted cashew milk) and most-preferred texture.
The researchers attributed the overall lower preference of nut milks — albeit slightly in some cases — to flavors imparted by aldehydes, which are characteristic of nut-derived foods. They also pointed to numerous potential health and environmental benefits of nut milks.
“Despite its lower preference than that of commercial milk, nut-based milk coffee demonstrated potential as a health-promoting beverage owing to its high unsaturated fatty acid content (e.g., oleic and linolenic acid) and antioxidant effects,” they wrote. “To improve the acceptability of nut-based milk coffee, further research is warranted to control the production of specific aldehydes responsible for undesirable flavors, and additional physical experiments should be conducted to enhance the texture of these beverages.”
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