Foaming properties and sensory acceptance of plant-based beverages as alternatives in the preparation of cappuccino style beverages

The physicochemical composition and foaming properties of five commercial beverages used by baristas for the production of cappuccino style beverages were investigated at two temperatures (4 and 65 °C). The samples included were two cow milks, a soy beverage, a coconut/soy beverage, and an oat beverage. In addition, the samples were used for the sensory analysis of their foams in freddo cappuccino and cappuccino style beverages. At 4 °C, the cow milk samples exhibited better foaming properties compared to the plant-based ones, due to their higher protein content and performance of proteins at the air/water interface and were also preferred by the panelists. The soy beverage presented better foaming properties compared to the coconut/soy one and to the oat one. In the case of 65 °C, the foaming properties were in general similar for all samples. Concerning the sensory evaluation, all samples presented similar color, gloss, and texture, with the exception of oat beverage, while the soy beverage was inferior in taste and overall acceptance to all the other four samples. The studied plant-based beverages could not replace milk in the production of freddo cappuccino beverages, but they could in the case of cappuccino beverages, considering that they provide proper taste.