Malted Soybeans as a Substrate for Plant-Based Beverages—Analysis of Nutritional Properties, Antioxidant Activity, and Volatiles

TL;DR

This study explores how malting soybeans affects the nutritional and antioxidant properties of plant-based beverages, finding that malted soybeans can enhance amino acid and phenolic content.

Contribution

The novelty lies in evaluating two types of soy malt and three soy varieties for plant-based beverages, revealing their impact on nutritional and volatile profiles.

Findings

Beverages from malted soybeans had higher protein and amino acid content than those from unmalted seeds.

Caramel-type malt from Abaca and Aurelina soy varieties showed the highest antioxidant activity and phenolic compound concentrations.

Malting significantly altered volatile compound composition in the beverages.

Abstract

Soybeans are often used as a raw material for the production of plant-based beverages. Malting significantly changes the properties of malted seeds; therefore, the aim of this study was the assessment of beverages obtained from soy malts (two types: ‘Pilsener’ and ‘Caramel’) produced from three soy varieties (Abaca, Abelina, and Aurelina). Beverages produced from malts were characterized by a higher protein content compared with beverages from unmalted seeds. The control samples showed a lower content of the sum of all amino acids (363.89–371.04 mg/g) compared with beverages from both types of malts, and the highest content was determined in the beverage from caramel-type malt of the Abaca variety (434.60 mg/g). Beverages from caramel-type malt of the Abaca and Aurelina varieties contained the largest concentration of phenolic compounds (8.35–10.33 mg GAE/100 mL) and the highest antioxidant activity (ABTS•+ 0.36–0.45 μmol Trolox/mL, FRAP 0.24–0.30 μmol Trolox/mL, and DPPH 0.08–0.09 μmol Trolox/mL). Analysis of the concentration of volatile compounds has shown that using malted soybeans had a significant effect on the composition and share of various groups of volatile compounds (aldehydes, alcohols, terpenes, and ketones) in the analyzed beverages. The obtained results indicate the possibility of using soy malt in the production of plant-based beverages. However, further work is necessary to improve the quality and organoleptic properties of these products.

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