Oat milk is a plant milk derived from whole oat grains by extracting the plant material with water. Oat milk has a creamy texture and oatmeal-like flavor, and is manufactured in various flavors, such as sweetened, unsweetened, vanilla or chocolate. Unlike other plant milks having origins as early as the 13th century, oat milk was developed in the 1990s by the Swedish scientist Rickard Öste. Over 2017–2019, oat milk sales in the United States increased 10 fold, and one major manufacturer, Oatly, reported a three-fold increase in worldwide sales. By 2019, oat milk products included coffee creamer, yogurt, and ice cream. Oat milk may be consumed to replace dairy milk in vegan diets, or in cases of medical conditions where dairy is incompatible, such as lactose intolerance or an allergy to cow milk. Compared to dairy milk and other vegan milk products, oat milk has relatively low environmental impact due to its comparatively low land and water needs for production.
History
Invention
predates all other alternative milks, including oat milk, both as a cultural and commercial product. Since the early 20th century, soy milk made its way from Asia to European and American grocery stores, initially as a dairy substitute due to lactose intolerance. The increase in consumption of soy milk since its global distribution created a large market for plant-based, non-dairy milks like oat milk. The first example of an oat-based plant beverage was in the early 1990s, when Rickard Öste developed oat milk. Öste was working as a food scientist at Lund University in Lund, Sweden, researching lactose intolerance and sustainable food systems, when he invented the drink. Soon after, Öste founded Oatly, the first commercial manufacturer of oat milk.
Market expansion
The pioneer in commercial oat milk, Oatly, had its products in 7,000 coffee shops and grocery stores, as of 2019, but was not the only prominent oat milk producer. Oat milk can be found under brand names Oatly, Pureharvest, Alpro, Bioavena, Simpli, Vitasoy, and Pacific, among others. In 2018, global sales of plant milks, including oat milk, were US$1.6 billion, with a forecast of $41 billion by 2025. In 2018, there were numerous oat milk shortages from unprecedented demand in Europe and North America, highlighting the strong consumer demand for this product. To meet the American demand, Oatly opened a new factory in New Jersey in April 2019, producing per month of oat milk base, and announced plans for a Utah-based factory three-times larger to open in early 2020. In 2019, retail sales of oat milk in the United States were $29 million, up from $4.4 million in 2017. Oat milk desserts, such as ice cream, yogurts, and coffee creamers, were common in 2019, with expanded uses in coffee shops, such as Starbucks, and growth into new markets, such as China. Growth in the oat milk market is partly attributed to its relatively low environmental impact, low land and water needs, and rising vegan dietary practices in developed countries.
Production
Processing
The production of oat milk is similar to that of most other plant milks. Unprocessed cereal grains, like oats, are indigestible due to their hard, outer hull; processing is also necessary to change the dry grains into a liquid. The procedure starts by measuring and milling the oat grains to break apart their outer hull. Then the grains are stirred in warm water and ground into a slurry. The slurry is treated with enzymes and heat to create a thick liquid oat base. Soaking and subsequently extracting nutrients from the oats have the most direct implications on the final milk product. Increasing the yield in this step may be assisted by chemical catalysts, enzymes, or an increase in temperature, all in order to remove nutrient molecules from the solid byproduct and incorporate them into the liquid. Chemical catalysts increase the pH of the mixture, enzymatic catalysts induce partial hydrolysis of proteins and polysaccharides, and higher temperatures increase reaction rates. Separating the liquid from the solid byproduct is a simple step achieved through decanting, filtration, and spinning in a centrifuge. Once the liquid product is separated, adding other ingredients, such as fortifying vitamins and minerals, or sweeteners, flavorings, salts, oils, and similar ingredients, forms the final product. Since unfortified oat milk is lower in calcium, iron, and vitamin A than dairy milk, these nutrients must be added in order for the end product to be a nutritional substitute of dairy milk. Homogenization and heat-treatments such as pasteurization or ultra-high temperature treatments are used to extend the product's shelf life.
Challenges to processing
Because oat milk is produced by the disintegration of plant materials, the resulting particle sizes are not as uniform as bovine milk. This variation in particle size is due to the vastly different lipid and protein molecules. Decreasing particle size, improving particle solubility, and using hydrocolloids and emulsifiers are common ways to improve product quality via homogenization. Another problem posed by the natural composition of oats is their high starch content. The starch content is challenging during UHT treatments because of starch's relatively low gelatinization temperature. To overcome this, producers use an enzymatic hydrolysis of starch by alpha- and beta-amylase, producing maltodextrins which gelatinize at higher, more suitable temperatures. Fortifying oat milk with essential nutrients may include vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin, calcium, and protein.
Veganism and environmental impact
Since around 2015, interest for plant-based foods, in combination with concerns for animal welfare and low environmental impact, propelled consumption of oat milk. Compared to dairy milk and other plant-based milks, the oat milk manufacturing process produces small amounts of carbon dioxide and no methane, and requires relatively low use of water and land. Oat milk production requires 15 times less water than dairy milk and 8 times less than almond milk.
Nutritional composition
, oat milk is similar in total calories per liquid volume, has half the protein content, somewhat less total fat, but only about 10% of the saturated fat content, and about 1.5 times the total carbohydrate. Cow's milk has no fiber, but oat milk has 2 g dietary fiber per serving. Calcium and potassium contents are comparable, although oat milk – as for all plant-based milks – may be fortified with specific nutrients during manufacturing. See the article Plant milk for details.
Uses
Oat milk is used as a substitute for dairy milk in custom coffee preparation and in fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and kefir. Baristas claim that oat milk needs less steam than cow milk, froths favorably, is tasteful, rich, and creamy like cow milk, and effectively balances the acidity of espresso coffee. It has growing applications in coffee preparation at major coffee shops like Starbucks. Like other non-dairy milks, oat milk may be used as a substitute for dairy milks when cooking or baking.
