Cereal and oat-based beverages as a functional alternative for human consumption
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2179460X90579Keywords:
Cereal beverages, Oats, Water-soluble extractsAbstract
The growth of plant-based beverages is driven by the demand for healthy and sustainable alternatives, with a focus on their nutritional advantages and lower environmental impact. The consumption of cereals offers various health benefits, and oats, with their beta-glucan fibers, are especially effective in reducing cholesterol, making them an excellent option for nutritious plant-based beverages. This literature review aims to highlight the nutritional and technological advancements related to oats as a viable option for plant-based beverages. A search was conducted in Scopus database using the keywords “beverage” and “functional” and “cereals”, and “Beverage” and “oat”, during the period from 2019 to 2024, with the goal of identifying key nutritional and technological advancements. Oats stand out as an excellent substrate for microorganism growth, making them a valuable raw material for beverage development. Recent advancements in the field include the use of spectroscopy and neural networks for precise fermentation monitoring, high-intensity application to enhance the development of probiotic beverages, as well as the stabilization of emulsions in oat-based products. However, challenges remain, such as the need to optimize the appearance, nutritional profile, and sanitary quality of traditional beverages. Despite these challenges, the use of oats for beverage production is increasingly promising, emerging as a healthy and innovative option for consumption.
Downloads
References
Agarbati, A., Canonico, L., Ciani, M., Morresi, C., Damiani, E., Bacchetti, T., & Comitini, F. (2024). Functional potential of a new plant-based fermented beverage: Benefits through nonconventional probiotic yeasts and antioxidant properties. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 424(May), 110857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2024.110857
Alemayehu, G. F., Forsido, S. F., Tola, Y. B., & Amare, E. (2022). Optimization of nutritional and sensory properties of fermented oat-based composite beverage. Heliyon, 8(10), e10771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10771
Alemneh, S. T., Emire, S. A., Jekle, M., & Hitzmann, B. (2022). Effect of refrigerated storage on some physicochemical characteristics of a teff- based fermented beverage and the viability of the fermenting Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus used. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, e17034. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.17034
Algonaiman, R., Alharbi, H. F., & Barakat, H. (2022). Antidiabetic and Hypolipidemic Efficiency of Lactobacillus plantarum Fermented Oat (Avena sativa) Extract in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes in Rats. Fermentation, 8(6), 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation8060267
Angelov, A., Yaneva-Marinova, T., & Gotcheva, V. (2018). Oats as a matrix of choice for developing fermented functional beverages. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 55(7), 2351–2360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-018-3186-y
Anitha Sri, M. J., Kanchana, S., Geetha, P. S., Vanniyarajan, C., Mini, M. L., & Ejilane, J. (2022). Exploring the functionality of ethnic fermented sour beverages and their standardization with improved shelf stability for industrial use. Journal of Applied and Natural Science, 14(SI), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v14iSI.3556
Aparicio-García, N., Martínez-Villaluenga, C., Frias, J., Crespo Perez, L., Fernández, C. F., Alba, C., Rodríguez, J. M., & Peñas, E. (2021). A Novel Sprouted Oat Fermented Beverage: Evaluation of Safety and Health Benefits for Celiac Individuals. Nutrients, 13(8), 2522. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082522
Aparicio-García, N., Martínez-Villaluenga, C., Frias, J., & Peñas, E. (2021). Production and characterization of a novel gluten-free fermented beverage based on sprouted oat flour. Foods, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10010139
Arslan-tontul, S., & Erbas, M. (2019). Co-Culture Probiotic Fermentation of Protein-Enriched Cereal Medium (Boza). 39, 72–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2019.1612796
Bayoï, J. R., Ndegoue, S. V., & Etoa, F. (2021). Traditional processing and quality attributes of “kounou”, a fermented indigenous cereal-based beverage from the northern zone of Cameroon. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 6, 100209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2021.100209
Bocchi, S., Rocchetti, G., Elli, M., Lucini, L., Lim, C. Y., & Morelli, L. (2021). The combined effect of fermentation of lactic acid bacteria and in vitro digestion on metabolomic and oligosaccharide profile of oat beverage. Food Research International, 142, 110216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2021.110216
Bocker, R., & Silva, E. K. (2022). Innovative technologies for manufacturing plant-based nondairy alternative milk and their impact on nutritional, sensory and safety aspects. Future Foods, 5, 100098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2021.100098
Brasil. (2022). Cultivo de aveia ganha novo estudo de zoneamento agrícola de risco climático. https://www.gov.br/agricultura/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/cultivo-de-aveia-ganha-novoestudo-de-zoneamento-agricola-de-risco-climatico-1#:~:text=No Brasil são cultivadas diferentes,de solo ou forrageamento animal.
Chen, L., Wu, D., Schlundt, J., & Conway, P. L. (2020). Development of a Dairy-Free Fermented Oat-Based Beverage With Enhanced Probiotic and Bioactive Properties. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11(December). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.609734
Chen, W., Zhang, T., Ma, Q., Zhu, Y., & Shen, R. (2022). Structure Characterization and Potential Probiotic Effects of Sorghum and Oat Resistant Dextrins. Foods, 11(13), 1877. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11131877
Comert, E. D., & Vural, G. (2022). Optimization of reaction conditions for the design of cerealbased dietary fibers with high antioxidant capacity. NJournal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 102(14), 6502–6510. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.12017
Dąbrowski, G., Paulauskienė, A., Baltušnikienė, A., Kłębukowska, L., Czaplicki, S., & Konopka, I. (2022). Changes in Selected Quality Indices in Microbially Fermented Commercial Almond and Oat Drinks. Applied Sciences, 12(19), 9983. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199983
Duan, R., Guan, X., Huang, K., Zhang, Y., Li, S., Xia, J., & Shen, M. (2021). Flavonoids from Whole-Grain Oat Alleviated High-Fat Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia via Regulating Bile Acid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota in Mice. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 69(27), 7629–7640. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.1c01813
El-mascarado, F. S. A., El-Gendy, M. hatem, & El-Nawawy, M. (2023). Properties Of Fermented Permeate Beverages Enriched With Barley, Oat And Black Rice Extract. Egyptian Journal of Chemistry, 66(7), 319–327. https://doi.org/10.21608/ejchem.2022.163910.7004
Fernandes, C. G., Sonawane, S. K., & Arya, S. S. (2019). Optimization and modeling of novel multigrain beverage: Effect of food additives on physicochemical and functional properties. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 43(10), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14151
Ferreira, I., de Sousa Melo, D., Santos, M. S., Dias, D. R., de Souza, C. O., Favaro-Trindade, C. S., Pinho, L. S., de Castro Almeida, R. C., Magalhães-Guedes, K. T., & Schwan, R. F. (2023). Non-Lactic Probiotic Beverage Enriched with Microencapsulated Red Propolis: Microorganism Viability, Physicochemical Characteristics, and Sensory Perception. Fermentation, 9(3), 234. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9030234
Ferreira, I., Sousa, D. De, Galv, A., Calixto, H., Beatriz, B., Assis, T. De, Lacerda, C., Magnani, M., Dias, R., & Freitas, R. (2022). Evaluation of potentially probiotic yeasts and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum in co-culture for the elaboration of a functional plant-based fermented beverage. Food Research International, 160(February), 111697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111697
Gebre, T. S., Emire, S. A., Chelliah, R., Aloo, S. O., & Oh, D. (2023). Isolation, functional activity, and safety of probiotics from Ethiopian traditional cereal-based fermented beverage, “Borde.” LWT, 184, 115076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2023.115076
Habib, H., Singh, J., Kumar, A., Amin, T., Bhat, T. A., Aziz, N., & Ercisli, S. (2023). Optimization of Functional Beverage Using Germinated Pseudocereals. Journal of Food Chemistry & Nanotechnology, 9(February). https://doi.org/10.17756/jfcn.2023-s1-015
He, Z., Zhang, H., Wang, T., Wang, R., & Luo, X. (2022). Effects of Five Different Lactic Acid Bacteria on Bioactive Components and Volatile Compounds of Oat. Foods, 11(20), 3230. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11203230
Heo, S. J., Kim, A. J., Park, M. J., Kang, K., & Soung, D. Y. (2020). Nutritional and functional properties of fermented mixed grains by solid-state fermentation with bacillus amyloliquefaciens 245. Foods, 9(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/FOODS9111693
Herrera-Ponce, A. L., Salmeron-Ochoa, I., Rodriguez-Figueroa, J. C., Santellano-Estrada, E., Garcia-Galicia, I. A., & Alarcon-Rojo, A. D. (2022). High-intensity ultrasound as pretreatment in the development of fermented whey and oat beverages: effect on the fermentation, antioxidant activity and consumer acceptance. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 59(2), 796–804. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-021-05074-9
Herrera‐Ponce, A. L., Salmeron‐Ochoa, I., Rodriguez‐Figueroa, J. C., Santellano‐Estrada, E., Garcia‐Galicia, I. A., Vargas‐Bello‐Pérez, E., & Alarcon‐Rojo, A. D. (2022). Functional properties and consumer acceptance of whey‐oat beverages under different ultrasonication times and inulin concentration. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 46(10), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.16907
Horlacher, N., Oey, I., & Leong, S. Y. (2024). Effect of pulsed electric field processing on microbial and enzyme inactivation in blended plant-based milk alternatives: A case study on a microbial challenge test for a non-presterilized oat-based beverage enriched with pea protein. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies, 94(October 2023), 103699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2024.103699
Juan, C., Mañes, J., Juan-garcía, A., Carlos, J., João, C., Mañes, J., Juan-garcía, A., & Carlos, J. (2022). Multimycotoxin Analysis in Oat, Rice, Almond and Soy Beverages by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry. 12(8), 3942. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/app1208394
Kasim, Z. M., Chin, T. H., & Zubairi, S. I. (2022). Study of Selected Beverages with Β-Glucan from Oats and Barley on Physical Properties, Sensory Perception, Glycemic Index and Satiety. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal, 10(3), 940–951. https://doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.10.3.11
Kaur, R., & Prasad, K. (2024). Development and characterization of chickpea based ready to use replacement beverage mix. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 18(5), 3595–3618. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-024-02430-z
Khamzaeva, N., Kunz, C., Schamann, A., Pferdmenges, L., & Briviba, K. (2024). Bioaccessibility and Digestibility of Proteins in Plant-Based Drinks and Cow’s Milk: Antioxidant Potential of the Bioaccessible Fraction. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 72(4), 2300–2308. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c07221
Khastayeva, A., Bekturganova, A., Omaraliyeva, A., Serikov, A., & Myrzhykbayeva, A. (2023). Optimization of Technological Parameters in the Production of Cereal Beverages Fortified With Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 3(123), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2023.282694
Küçükgöz, K., Franczak, A., Borysewicz, W., Kamińska, K., Salman, M., Mosiej, W., Kruk, M., Kołożyn-Krajewska, D., & Trząskowska, M. (2024). Impact of Lactic Acid Fermentation on the Organic Acids and Sugars of Developed Oat and Buckwheat Beverages. Fermentation, 10(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10070373
Kumar, L., Sehrawat, R., & Kong, Y. (2021). Oat proteins: A perspective on functional properties. Lwt, 152(April), 112307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2021.112307
Kwok, E., Yang, J., Taheri, P., & Chen, L. (2024). Impact of ultrasound on nutrition recovery and physicochemical properties of oat beverage. Lwt, 202(February), 116303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2024.116303
Łopusiewicz, Ł. (2024). Comparison of Homemade and Commercial Plant-Based Drinks (Almond, Oat, Soy) Fermented with Yogurt Starter Culture for Fresh Consumption. Fermentation, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10010035
M’hir, S., Filannino, P., Mejri, A., Tlais, A. Z. A., Di Cagno, R., & Ayed, L. (2021). Functional Exploitation of Carob, Oat Flour, and Whey Permeate as Substrates for a Novel Kefir-Like Fermented Beverage: An Optimized Formulation. Foods, 10(2), 294. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10020294
Malafronte, L., Yilmaz-Turan, S., Dahl, L., Vilaplana, F., & Lopez-Sanchez, P. (2023). Shear and extensional rheological properties of whole grain rye and oat aqueous suspensions. Food Hydrocolloids, 137(October 2022), 108319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2022.108319
Marchwińska, K., Gwiazdowska, D., Juś, K., Gluzińska, P., Gwiazdowska, J., & Pawlak-Lemańska, K. (2023). Innovative Functional Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermented Oat Beverages with the Addition of Fruit Extracts and Lyophilisates. Applied Sciences (Switzerland), 13(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312707
Masiá, C., Geppel, A., Jensen, P. E., & Buldo, P. (2021). Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus on Physicochemical Properties of Fermented Plant-Based Raw Materials. Foods, 10(3), 573. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10030573
Miller, Y. Y., Kiseleva, T., & Pomozova, V. (2024). Using non-traditional raw materials in the production of grain beverages. BIO Web of Conferences, 103. https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/202410300092
Mohammadi, M., Nouri, L., & Mortazavian, A. M. (2021). Development of a functional synbiotic beverage fortified with different cereal sprouts and prebiotics. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 58(11), 4185–4193. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-020-04887-4
Moiseenko, K. V., Glazunova, O. A., & Fedorova, T. V. (2024). Fermentation of Rice, Oat, and Wheat Flour by Pure Cultures of Common Starter Lactic Acid Bacteria: Growth Dynamics, Sensory Evaluation, and Functional Properties. Foods, 13(15). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13152414
Moore, S. S., Costa, A., Pozza, M., Vamerali, T., Niero, G., Censi, S., & De Marchi, M. (2023). How animal milk and plant-based alternatives diverge in terms of fatty acid, amino acid, and mineral composition. Npj Science of Food, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-023-00227-w
Patra, M., Bashir, O., Amin, T., Wani, A. W., Shams, R., Chaudhary, K. S., Mirza, A. A., & Manzoor, S. (2023). A comprehensive review on functional beverages from cereal grainscharacterization of nutraceutical potential, processing technologies and product types. Heliyon, 9(6), e16804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16804
Patra, T., Axel, C., Rinnan, Å., & Olsen, K. (2022). The physicochemical stability of oat-based drinks. Journal of Cereal Science, 104(January), 103422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2022.103422
Pérez-Rodríguez, M. L., Serrano-Carretero, A., García-Herrera, P., Cámara-Hurtado, M., & Sánchez-Mata, M. C. (2023). Plant-based beverages as milk alternatives? Nutritional and functional approach through food labelling. Food Research International, 173(July). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113244
Rani, M., Dabur, R. S., Bishnoi, S., & Jairath, G. (2024). Influence of storage on physico-chemical physiognomies of fermented whey cereal (pearl millet and moth bean) beverage. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 61(1), 117–128. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-023-05825-w
Rincon, L., Botelho, R. B. A., & Alencar, E. R. de. (2020). Development of novel plant-based milk based on chickpea and coconut. Lwt, 128(January), 109479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.109479
Smanalieva, J., Iskakova, J., & Musulmanova, M. (2022). Milk- and cereal-based Kyrgyz ethnic foods. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 29, 100507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2022.100507
Stewart, D., & Mcdougall, G. (2014). Oat agriculture , cultivation and breeding targets : implications for human nutrition and health. British Journal of Nutrition, 112, 850–857. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114514002736
Tangyu, M., Fritz, M., Tan, J. P., Ye, L., Bolten, C. J., Bogicevic, B., & Wittmann, C. (2023). Flavour by design: food-grade lactic acid bacteria improve the volatile aroma spectrum of oat milk, sunflower seed milk, pea milk, and faba milk towards improved flavour and sensory perception. Microbial Cell Factories, 22(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-023-02147-6
Valoppi, F., Maina, N., Allén, M., Miglioli, R., Kilpeläinen, P. O., & Mikkonen, K. S. (2019). Spruce galactoglucomannan-stabilized emulsions as essential fatty acid delivery systems for functionalized drinkable yogurt and oat-based beverage. European Food Research and Technology, 245(7), 1387–1398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-019-03273-5
Vila-Real, C., Pimenta-Martins, A., Mbugua, S., Hagrétou, S.-L., Katina, K., Maina, N. H., Pinto, E., & Gomes, A. M. P. (2022). Novel synbiotic fermented finger millet-based yoghurtlike beverage: Nutritional, physicochemical, and sensory characterization. Journal of Functional Foods, 99, 105324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2022.105324
Yan, X.-T., Zhang, Z., Wang, Y., Zhang, W., Zhang, L., Liu, Y., Chen, D., Wang, W., Ma, W., Qian, J.-Y., & Gu, R. (2023). Antioxidant capacity, flavor and physicochemical properties of FH06 functional beverage fermented by lactic acid bacteria: a promising method to improve antioxidant activity and flavor of plant functional beverage. Applied Biological Chemistry, 66(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13765-022-00762-2
Yang, Z., Xie, C., Bao, Y., Liu, F., Wang, H., & Wang, Y. (2023). Oat: Current state and challenges in plant-based food applications. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 134, 56–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2023.02.017
Yu, Q., Qian, J., Guo, Y., Qian, H., Yao, W., & Cheng, Y. (2023). Applicable Strains, Processing Techniques and Health Benefits of Fermented Oat Beverages: A Review. Foods, 12(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12081708
Yu, Y., Li, X., Zhang, J., Li, X., Wang, J., & Sun, B. (2023). Oat milk analogue versus traditional milk: Comprehensive evaluation of scientific evidence for processing techniques and health effects. Food Chemistry: X, 19(May), 100859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100859
Ziarno, M., & Cichońska, P. (2021). Lactic acid bacteria-fermentable cereal-and pseudocereal-based beverages. Microorganisms, 9(12), 1–40. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9122532
Ziarno, M., Zaręba, D., Ścibisz, I., & Kozłowska, M. (2024). Texture and water holding capacity of oat drinks fermented with lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria and Propionibacterium. International Journal of Food Properties, 27(1), 106–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2023.2294704
Zommiti, M., Feuilloley, M. G. J., & Connil, N. (2020). Update of probiotics in human world: A nonstop source of benefactions till the end of time. Microorganisms, 8, 1907. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8121907
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ciência e Natura

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
To access the DECLARATION AND TRANSFER OF COPYRIGHT AUTHOR’S DECLARATION AND COPYRIGHT LICENSE click here.
Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication
The Ciência e Natura journal is committed to ensuring ethics in publication and quality of articles.
Conformance to standards of ethical behavior is therefore expected of all parties involved: Authors, Editors, Reviewers, and the Publisher.
In particular,
Authors: Authors should present an objective discussion of the significance of research work as well as sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the experiments. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable. Review Articles should also be objective, comprehensive, and accurate accounts of the state of the art. The Authors should ensure that their work is entirely original works, and if the work and/or words of others have been used, this has been appropriately acknowledged. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Authors should not submit articles describing essentially the same research to more than one journal. The corresponding Author should ensure that there is a full consensus of all Co-authors in approving the final version of the paper and its submission for publication.
Editors: Editors should evaluate manuscripts exclusively on the basis of their academic merit. An Editor must not use unpublished information in the editor's own research without the express written consent of the Author. Editors should take reasonable responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper.
Reviewers: Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should be conducted objectively, and observations should be formulated clearly with supporting arguments, so that Authors can use them for improving the paper. Any selected Reviewer who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the Editor and excuse himself from the review process. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

