Development of a yoghurt alternative, based on plant-adapted lactic acid bacteria, soy drink and the liquid fraction of brewers' spent grain

With consumers becoming more aware of sustainability, healthier lifestyles and animal welfare, plant-based food products as alternatives to dairy products have become a fast-growing industry in the last decade, and an increasing number of plant-based products are showing up on the markets. With over 88 million tons of food wasted in Europe annually, a sustainable alternative to dairy could be to use side streams for new products.

Here, we tried to develop a plant-based yogurt alternative based on three ingredients: commercial soy drink and a liquid fraction of brewers' spent grain fermented with plant-adapted lactic acid bacteria. Analysis of the content and properties of the fermented product were compared to a commercial plant-based yoghurt-like product and a commercial dairy yoghurt.

Results from the project show that fermentation of a commercial soy drink containing 20% of the liquid fraction of brewers' spent grain results in a product with texture and sensory characteristics that mimics a dairy yogurt.