Exploring functional and nutritional potential of walnuts: advancing the development of plant-based milk alternatives

The increasing trend of innovative plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs) is driven by lactose intolerance, cholesterol risks, and ethical, environmental, religious and social beliefs. In this regard, walnuts can be considered a unique ingredient for the production of PBMAs due to their remarkable functional potential and nutritional value. In this context, this study formulated and evaluated walnut milk, employing Design-Expert software. The findings showed that the optimal walnut milk composition is walnuts (17%), water (79.8%), fibers (2%), sugar (0.5%), vanilla extract (0.5%), salt (0.1%), and stabilizer (0.1%). The proximate composition (g/100 g) of optimized walnut milk was proteins at 3.51 g, fats at 2.75 g, carbohydrates at 5.65 g and ash at 0.81 g. Furthermore, the microstructure analysis denoted that it is an oil-in-water emulsion with the particle size distribution of oil drops in walnut milk in the range of 0.45 … 5.40 microns. The largest part of the oil volume has an average diameter of 2.70 microns. A sensory study was also undertaken, where walnut milk was highly acceptable to the panellists. This study shows the high potential and provides a positive view of walnut milk production, which is in agreement with the current demand for sustainable alternatives to dairy milk.

Acknowledgments. This research was supported by the Institutional Project, subprogram 020405 “Optimizing food processing technologies in the context of the circular bioeconomy and climate change”, Bio-OpTehPAS, being implemented at the Technical University of Moldova.