Milk is a common name given to liquid nutrients secreted from the mammary glands of mammals, whose nutritional value is extremely high. Milk is the main food source for mammalian babies who have not yet developed properties that can digest solid foods. In particular, early lactation milk (i.e. colostrum milk), produced within 4-5 days of birth, contains a large amount of antibodies, reducing the risk of the puppy becoming ill. In addition, milk contains plenty of protein and lactose sugar. Humans consume not only their own milk, but also the milk of other animals. Human beings are not the only species that exhibit this behavior, known as interspecies milk consumption; but Homo sapiens are the only species that can do so on a global scale, systematically and regularly.
The Search For An Alternative To Animal Foods...
Above all, one of the biggest problems in the production of animal products is sustainability. Because the impact of fattening livestock on nature is greater in many ways than that of cultivated plants, and this naturally negatively affects sustainability. Demand for plant foods is growing worldwide, not only because of the harm they cause to nature, but also because of the impact of animal foods on human health, ecological harm, and ethical reasons.
Currently, an increasing number of studies are published on the effects of saturated fats and cholesterol molecules contained in animal foods on our bodies. In general, these studies are carried out on large masses who consume animal food intensively and point to the health problems caused by animal food consumption of these masses. The results of the research are published on scientific platforms open to general access, and accordingly, the number of people who are anti-animal food is increasing. So much so that vegan movements have grown 5 times worldwide since 2014, when they first started, and according to the latest United Nations (UN) data, it is estimated that there are about 79 million vegans in the world by 2021.
In this case, plant-derived "vegan" alternatives of animal-derived foods have started to be produced in order to meet the nutritional habits of vegan people. We can say that these alternatives have a serious share, especially in the food industry today.
People first think of when you say directly in foods of animal origin obtained by ending the life of a living being a living being to end the life of meat products that are ethically and drew although it's thought of as the eggs are directly obtained without ending the life of a living being vegan and dairy products consumed by humans, we must not forget that it is not entered in this class. Therefore, plant-derived milks are also produced in increasing quantities.
From Which Plants Can Milk Be Produced?
Among the types of plants used in the production of vegetable milk, there are basically the following categories:
- Grasses: barley, fonyo, corn, millet, white oats, rice, rye, sorghum, tambourine, tritical, spelt, wheat
- Falsehoods: Amaranthus, buckwheat, quinoa
- Legumes: bitter pods, peas, peanuts, soy
- Nuts: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, forest nuts (or " nuts "for short), Macadamia, pecan, pistachios, walnuts
- Seeds: chia seed, flax seed, hessian seed, pumpkin seed, sesame seed, sunflower seed
- Other: coconut, potato, ground almonds
Ecological Benefits Of Plant Milk
The critical point here is this: almost all of these milks are much more ecologically and environmentally friendly than animal milk (especially cow's milk, which is most commonly consumed). For example, a study conducted in 2018 estimated that the contribution of milk and dairy production alone to greenhouse gases is 3 times higher than milk produced from plants, and it was shown that carbon dioxide emissions will decrease by 221 billion tons over the next 100 years if animal food production is stopped.
Cow's milk also contribute to global warming potential (measured by the amount of carbon dioxide per gallon of milk), in Australia and New Zealand varies between a value of 2.50 in Africa with the 1.14 level; on the other hand, the value of 0.42 for almond milk and coconut milk, soy milk, this ratio is at the level of 0.75. In addition, 9 times more space is required to produce animal dairy products in general compared to vegetable milk. 8.9 square meters of space is used on Earth for each liter of cow's milk; this area is 0.8 square meters per liter of oat milk, 0.7 for soy milk, 0.5 for almond milk, and 0.3 square meters for rice milk.
Of course, when obtaining milk from these products, physical processes such as drying, crushing and shredding are carried out, and in this process, especially water consumption is very intense. In spite of this, herbal milk is much less than the amount of water that is used to produce cow's milk: to produce 1 litre of cow's milk 628 gallons total spent this amount 371 litres for almond milk, rice for 270 litres 48 litres oat milk, soy milk is 28 liters.
Types Of Vegetable Milk
Considering that the Earth's resources are declining, it is important to determine which of the different plant milks causes the lowest resource consumption from the point of view of sustainability. Let's look at different types of herbal milk one by one.
Dried Milk
Milk can be made from almost all nuts; however, almonds, nuts and coconuts are the most popular herbal milk in this area. Not only do shellfish milk usually need smaller areas of land, but the trees on which they grow absorb carbon and produce useful woody biomass at the end of their lifetimes. Nevertheless, there are great differences in the geographical conditions in which various shellfish trees are grown.
Almond Milk
Almond milk is vegetable milk with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions among other vegetable milks. But it is also the most water-consuming product among its competitors. According to research, about 65 liters of water is spent to produce only a single glass of almond milk. California is the place where almond milk is most densely produced (immediately followed by Australia). An average of 12 liters of water is spent on an almond grown in California. So if you're trying to reduce your water footprint, almond milk alone won't be a good choice.
The biggest concern about almond milk production is related to the decline of bee populations. Bees are the animal that makes almond plant pollination possible; however, bee populations are seriously threatened, especially in the United States, due to their exposure to glyphosates and their industrial farming practices. On the other hand, in Australia, almond orchards are much smaller and less industrial, so they do not currently have a problem with bees. The problem there is intense selection pressure on bee populations due to fires, droughts, floods, smog and extreme temperatures.
Coconut Milk
Although we have actually counted under "other" before, it is also possible to see coconut as a kind of nuts. Although not in terms of Protein, it is very rich in potassium, magnesium and phosphorus minerals. It can also help you lose weight, allowing you to achieve satisfaction quickly thanks to its fiber content. In general, very little water is used to produce coconut milk, and by increasing the number of these trees, the attitude of carbon dioxide can be increased.
But in order to grow coconut industrially, unfortunately, large areas, especially tropical rainforests, need to be destroyed. This leads to the destruction of very large habitats. Moreover, the carbon footprint of coconut milk is not as low as soy. For these reasons, as demand for coconut and milk increases, pressures on wildlife and wildlife are also expected to increase.
Hazelnut Milk
The search for an alternative to almond milk due to problems with bees has increased interest in hazelnut milk over time, because the hazelnut plant is a wind-pollinated plant, not bees. This, in turn, makes hazelnut a better option in terms of Environment.
Hazelnut; Black Sea, southern Europe and North America grows in areas where rain is high and uses much less water than almond trees. Since Turkey is the largest hazelnut producer on earth, it is possible that our country will benefit from this growing interest. Nut milk because you are currently on the market, demand and production increases; however, industrial-scale production has not started yet and therefore these plants are technologies that increase production without damaging the environment for the development of large R & D creates a field.
Legume Milks
Soy milk has been used in China for millennia and is already widely consumed in the West, but the hemp/kemdir alternative, which is among legume milks, is relatively new.
All legumes exhibit nitrogen-binding properties, meaning that bacteria that live in the tissues of these plants produce nitrogen. This, in turn, increases soil fertility and reduces the need for fertilizer. Legumes are also more efficient in terms of water, especially compared to almonds and dairy products.
Soy Milk
Soy milk may be the first milk that comes to mind when it is called plant-derived milk, because it is the most similar to cow's milk among plant-based milk in our lives for longer than other plant-based milk and in terms of both taste, texture and nutrient content. In fact, the winner of this race in terms of sustainability is soy milk, because the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of the product are very close to almond and pea milk, which according to research has the lowest values in the field. And as a significant plus, it uses only a tenth of their water.
Among the largest producers are the United States and Brazil, where soy milk needs very large areas to grow soy plants. So much so that part of the Amazon, one of the largest rainforests in the world, was burned and destroyed, opening up to soybean agriculture. Given that these areas were previously Earth's oxygen sources and were home to many creatures, the effects of soy agriculture on life can be better understood.
The only element that makes soybean farming so popular is not milk production or human consumption. Soy is a widely used fattening animal food. Due to the decrease in meat and animal food consumption worldwide, soy production is also expected to decrease and its ecological effects are expected to be further strengthened. Unfortunately, there has not yet been a significant change in this direction; even meat consumption in general is also increasing.
Hemp (Hessian) Milk
Hemp milk is unrivalled in terms of its environmental benefits. Its seeds are processed for oil and milk, but at the same time the plant itself can be used as versatile: almost all parts of the plant can be used as building material, textile fiber, pulp and paper, or hemp-based plastic.
Its roots grow to spread over a deep area, which improves soil structure and reduces the presence of fungi. At the same time, hemp is resistant to diseases and produces a lot of shade that inhibits the growth of weeds. This reduces the need for herbicides and pesticides.
Hemp requires more water than soy, but less than almonds and milk. Although it is one of the oldest crops used, especially in Europe, hemp is produced in very low quantities today (perhaps for unsurprising reasons).
Wheat Milks
We can produce plant-based milk from almost all grains, but Rice and oats are the most popular products in this regard. But wheat milks need more soil than hazelnut milks, and they also have serious problems in terms of water consumption (especially in the case of rice milk).
Rice Milk
According to studies conducted at the University of Oxford, rice milk is one of the vegan milk that has the lowest nutritional value and produces the most greenhouse gas emissions. Although it consumes less water than almond milk, it ranks second in the ranking of water use among vegetable milk. It also causes methane gas to be released into the atmosphere, as paddy fields are located in swamps, which leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions. In some cases, rice milk has also been found to contain unacceptable levels of arsenic.
Oat Milk
Although the nutritional value of oat milk is higher than rice and almond milk, it is not as high as soy and coconut. It uses 60% less energy for its production compared to cow's milk and has 80% less greenhouse gas emissions. Less space is also required for growing oats. But in oat farming, glyphosate-based chemicals are used before harvest. Oats contaminated with glyphosate are often indistinguishable and used in milk production. Consumption of glyphosate has been associated with the development of cancer in humans. For this reason, it is necessary to make sure that the organicity of oats used in the consumption of oat milk.
Result
As you can see, there are many plant varieties that can create an alternative to animal milk, and all of them have their own advantages and disadvantages. It is important to note that fighting a problem such as the climate crisis will only be possible with multifaceted approaches and solutions. There is no single solution to such major problems; therefore, turning the benefits of herbal milk into an advantage in the most effective way offers us important tools in our fight against this difficult problem.