Plant-based milks are becoming increasingly popular with consumers as they seek healthier, non-animal-based options of milk protein. Unlike animal sourced milk, in plant-based milk production there are frequent changes between crop years and in crop sources. For example, the same plant grown in different climates, different weather patterns or different cultivars can give modest to noticeable differences in the constituent concentrations. The efficient production of high caliber plant-based milk products therefore requires full control over intermediate and final product quality. Producers want to hit their target formulas on cost, quality, and labeling concerns.
Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) transmission technology is highly suitable for making proximate constituent measurements in liquid plant-based milks. Unlike traditional wet chemistry methods which can be time consuming and labor intensive, FT-IR multiple component analysis is done in under a minute. FT-IR sample preparation is minimal, which means that the products can be analyzed as is without drying or making extracts.