LAUSR

Vegetable “milk” obtained by aqueous extraction of oil bodies from maize germ, hazelnut or sesame seed, followed by concentration of the extracts by ultrafiltration were subjected to thermal treatment to ensure their microbial quality and safety. Thermal treatment did not induce any important variations on the volatile profile of the hazelnut and sesame seed “milk” products, while thearoma character of maize germ “milk” was appreciably affected. The physical stability of both the maize germ and hazelnut “milk” was not adversely influenced by the thermal treatment as they exhibited satisfactory stability against droplet aggregation/coalescence during storage. On the contrary, the heated sesame seed “milk” was destabilized through the development of droplet aggregates. Studies on the oxidative stability of the “milk” products revealed a positive effect of heating while no losses in different classes of endogenous bioactive constituents (tocopherols and lignans) were observed. The potential industrial applications are discussed Practical application: The consumption of food products with enhanced health benefits such as vegetable “milk” is gaining ground due to the change of the dietary habits of the consumers towards non-dairy products. The stability of “milk” products based on concentrated (i.e. by ultrafiltration) aqueous oil body extracts of maize germ, hazelnut and sesame seed has never been examned before. The investigation of the impact of thermal treatment on the microbiological, physical and oxidative stability of such product is of scientific interest as well as of practical application since it reflects the quality assurance and the higher economic sustainability of such products in the market.