Processability and physicochemical properties of plant-based dispersions formulated with oat, pea, and potato concentrates intended for the production of yoghurt analogues

The demand for plant-based fermented products with similar nutritional, textural, and functional properties to dairy yoghurts is increasing. Generally, plant-based products are formulated using one single protein-based ingredient source. The combination of ingredients from different plant sources, such as oats, peas, and potatoes can overcome challenges related to nutritional value, physicochemical stability, and processability of plant-based foods. The study aims to determine the feasibility of combining pea and potato concentrates and oat flour for formulating plant-based dispersions to be used for fermentation regarding their processability and physicochemical properties. An experimental design was employed to create a variety of plant-based formulations (PBFs) at 3 % (w/w) protein. Oat-dominant PBFs had viscosity values ranging from 1141 to 871 mPa s, similar to high solid dairy counterparts (e.g., Greek-style yoghurts). In contrast, potato-dominant PBFs had significantly lower (P < 0.05) viscosity, similar to drinkable-like yoghurts or Kefir. The dominance of pea ingredients resulted in PBFs having intermediate viscosity, high net z-potential (−37 mV ± 4.04), and higher buffering capacity when compared to other PBFs. The insights of this study and the empirical predicting model developed pave the way to design PBFs having selected processability (e.g. viscosity after heat treatment) and properties of the product (e.g. particle size, colour, viscosity) for mimicking diverse dairy counterparts’ products (e.g., Greek style, Kefir, Skyr, etc.).