The demand for plant-based milk and meat alternatives is growing worldwide. Currently, plant-based yogurts still have a very poor taste. Dr. Maret Andreson studied microbial consortia to improve plant-based yogurts.
The market value of fermented plant-based products is high. By 2025, it could be $39.7 billion. By 2034, it could grow to $84.7 billion. People are lactose intolerant and are aware of environmental problems.
Current yogurt alternatives do not resemble real yogurt. Andreson researched how to improve these products. He used kombucha as a model system. He also studied the fermentation of oat and pea drinks.
The oat drink was sour and sweet. Its texture resembled classic yogurt. Manufacturers use different methods to make plant-based yogurts. Some products are not fermented, while others use unsuitable bacteria.
The lactic acid bacteria currently used come from animal environments. Andreson wanted to use bacteria from plant environments. He conducted experiments to find better bacteria.
Kombucha is a fermented tea drink used for fermentation. Andreson studied kombucha products sold in Estonia. He found that some kombuchas contain a lot of alcohol.
Andreson conducted experiments to make orange juice and coffee kombucha. He used backslopping to study bacterial survival. The experiment showed that kombucha culture is stable and difficult to change.
Safety regulations and investment risk are important. Andreson researched which bacteria are suitable for making plant-based yogurts. He found that naturally formed microbial consortia are stable.
Andreson conducted fermentation experiments with oat and pea drinks. He found that lactic acid bacteria dominated in the oat drink. He selected the four best bacterial strains.
Andreson wants the next step to be trying to assemble consortia. The continuation of the work depends on financial contributions from food producers. The doctoral thesis focused on the diversity and stability of microbial consortia.