Comparative Analysis of the Amino Acid Composition of Beverages Based on Plant Raw Materials and Cow's Milk

Knowledge of the peculiarities of technological processes for the production of cow's milk analogues, optimal parameters for production, the chemical composition of raw materials and the resulting finished product, in particular the amino acid composition, plays an essential role in the development of new types of functional products, improvement of their stability, taste, and nutritional properties, and allows them to be enriched with additional components through various modifications. The purpose of the study is to compare the amino acid composition and balance of amino acids of various types of beverages based on plant raw materials: almond, rice and coconut, oatmeal with respect to the amino acid composition of cow's milk protein. The following methods were used: capillary electrophoresis – to determine the amino acid composition of the protein in analogues of milk and cow's milk, mathematical – to calculate the amino acid score and utility coefficient. The composition, organoleptic quality indicators, main technological stages, and safety of production of plant-based analogues of animal milk are presented. Three types of plant-based beverages were used for the study: almond with a mass fraction of fat of 1.5%; oatmeal with a mass fraction of fat of 2.5%; rice and coconut with a mass fraction of fat of 1.8%; and cow's milk with a mass fraction of fat of 2.5%. A comparative estimate of the mass fraction of amino acids valine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, threonine, and phenylalanine in the protein of beverages based on plant raw materials is presented relative to the mass fraction of amino acids in the milk protein, and the reference protein. The limiting amino acid in the protein composition of the studied analogues of cow's milk is methionine. The highest amino acid protein scores were observed in oatmeal drink; however, they did not exceed those of pasteurised milk. To assess the balance of the amino acid composition, the utility coefficient was determined. The findings are of practical importance, because they can be used in the production of functional products, in particular, analogues of cow's milk, to improve the composition, increase biological value, and enrichment with nutrients and additional components