Hemp, a
superfood
yet to be discovered, also deserves attention as a raw material for a plant-based beverage with excellent nutritional properties.
Plant-based beverages, market and prospects
The market for plant-based beverages continues to grow, internationally, although their proposed mode of consumption to date is, on closer inspection, reductive. In fact, such beverages-introduced as a substitute for cow’s milk-are not nutritionally comparable with it, as we have seen.
The needs of intolerant consumers, after all, can also be fulfilled with A2 milk.
The growth prospects of vegetable beverages could therefore be directed toward additional modes of consumption, including through single-serving formats and vending, as well as the HoReCa(Hotel, Restaurants, Catering) channel. Focusing on nutritional profiles and possible health benefits, as well as naturalness(strictly organic) and the ‘vegan factor’. The non-sweet flavors moreover lend themselves to consumption outside and during meals. As an alternative to other soft drinks (carbonated and sugary drinks, fruit juices) as well as alcoholic beverages. Zero-alcohol drinks in turn reap success, in fact, for various reasons related to health as well.
Hemp vegetable drink
The most popular plant-based beverage at present, in part because of its nutritional merits, is the soy-based beverage. (1) Cannabis sativa L. has in common with soybean its high plant protein content and yet differs favorably from it in three respects:
– Presence of Omega 3 fatty acids, in ideal balance with Omega 6, (2)
– absence of ‘antinutrients,’ which characterize soybeans instead, (3)
– resilience of the plant, which is easy to grow even in Italy with organic system, without chemical inputs, in a circular economy logic.
Preparation of the drink involves hemp seeds, which, after being moistened and broken down in water for the time necessary to extract their contents, are subjected to filtration. The extract thus obtained is diluted in an aqueous solution, with other ingredients added if necessary. (4) To improve the stability of the emulsion, some operators subject the product, to heat treatment, which, however, alters its flavor and nutritional value. High-pressure, low-temperature technologies represent a promising innovation, in many ways. (5)
Hemp beverage, the characteristics
The nutritional properties of hemp are widely reflected in the drink, as are the health benefits that are associated, in particular, with the presence of cannabidiolic acid. CBDA, the precursor of cannabidiol (CBD), is in fact the main bioactive component. And it intervenes favorably, according to established scientific literature, on various diseases (e.g., diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation of the liver and nervous system). (6)
The ample supply of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants-among them precisely Omega-3s-qualify hemp milk as an excellent nutraceutical food. For these reasons, too, the literature attributes various health effects to the consumption of hemp-based plant drinks. (7)
Hemp compared with other beverages
Comparison of the nutritional values of hemp drink with other plant-based beverages and cow’s milk shows that it has a higher content of calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, vitamin A and fiber. Its flavor is very close to that of soy and rice drinks, with a nutty note and a slightly more full-bodied, creamy, non-grainy texture. With the added benefit of not containing allergens found in other beverages. (8)
The energy value is lower than others, and the high concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids qualifies the hemp drink as a welcome dietary supplement, of particular relevance to Veg consumers and to those who otherwise cannot access marine Omega-3s. (9)
Dario Dongo and Andrea Adelmo Della Penna
Notes
(1) Jeske et al. (2017). Evaluation of physicochemical and glycaemic properties of commercial plant-based milk substitutes. Plant Foods Hum. Nutr. 72:26-33, doi:10.1007/s11130-016-0583-0
(2) House et al. (2010). Evaluating the quality of protein from hemp seed (Cannabis sativa L.) products through the use of the protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score method. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 58:11801-11807, doi:10.1021/jf102636b
(3) García-Mantrana I, Monedero V, Haros M. (2015). Reduction of Phytate in Soy Drink by Fermentation with Lactobacillus casei Expressing Phytases From Bifidobacteria. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2015 Sep;70(3):269-74. doi: 10.1007/s11130-015-0489-2. PMID: 26003176.
(4) Mäkinen et al. (2015). Foods for special dietary needs: non-dairy plant based milk substitutes and fermented dairy type products. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 56(3):339-349, https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2012.761950
(5) Wang et al. (2018). High pressure homogenization combined with pH shift treatment: A process to produce physically and oxidatively stable hemp milk. Food Research International 106:487-494, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.01.021
(6) Paul et al. (2019). Milk analog: Plant-based alternatives to conventional milk, production, potential and health concerns. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 60(18):3005-3023, https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2019.1674243
(7) Aydar et al. (2020). Plant-based milk substitutes: Bioactive compounds, conventional and novel processes, bioavailability studies, and health effects. Journal of Functional Foods 70:103975, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2020.103975
(8) Vahanvaty (2009). Hemp seed and hemp milk. The new super foods? ICAN Infant Child & Adolescent Nutrition 1(4):232-234, doi: 10.1177/1941406409342121
(9) Munekata et al. (2020). Effect of innovative food processing technologies on the physicochemical and nutritional properties and quality of non-dairy plant-based beverages. Foods 9:288, doi:10.3390/foods9030288
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Food Technologies and Biotechnologies, qualified food technologist, he follows the research and development area. With particular regard to European research projects (in Horizon 2020, PRIMA) where the FARE division of WIISE Srl, a benefit company, participates.
