Almond and chickpea milk mixes fermented into yoghurt analogues
What it found
In lab tests, fermented almond and chickpea milk mixes reduced an inflammatory signal in human intestinal cells, with the strongest reduction in chickpea-rich mixes.
The mixes also differed in texture and how much water they released.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Bacterial growth
Both strains grew better in the almond-chickpea mixes than in 100% almond or 100% chickpea, reaching over 100 million CFU per mL. The mixes provided a better blend of sugars for the bacteria.
Sugar use and acids
Sucrose and maltose were the main sugars consumed. Lactic acid production was higher in the 75% almond and 50% almond mixes (5.4 and 5.3 g/L) than in 100% almond (4.8 g/L) or 100% chickpea (3.2 g/L).
Protein breakdown
Chickpea proteins were broken down more than almond proteins. The 50% almond mix had the highest levels of peptides and free amino acids after fermentation.
GABA production
The fermented yoghurt analogues contained GABA, a compound made from glutamic acid. The highest GABA level was in the 100% almond sample (65 mg/L), and it was also produced in the mixes but little or not at all in the 100% chickpea sample.
Texture and water release
Samples with more almond had lower viscosity (222 vs 937 mPas at a shear rate of 50 per second) and released more water (54% vs 5% syneresis) compared to those with more chickpea.
Inflammation in cells
In lab tests on human intestinal cells, the fermented mixes reduced the inflammatory signal IL-8 triggered by E. coli lipopolysaccharide. The reduction was 29% for the 50% almond mix, 42% for the 25% almond mix, and 54% for the 100% chickpea sample.
What the authors conclude
“These results provide valuable insights into how the composition of the raw material blends and the fermentation conditions can be modulated to control the sensory, textural, nutritional and health properties.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the results provide valuable insights into how the composition of the raw material blends and the fermentation conditions can be modulated to control the sensory, textural, nutritional and health properties.
- They note that fermentation with lactic acid bacteria is a good lever to modulate the organoleptic properties of plant-based products by reducing typical plant-based notes.
- They suggest that the higher content of peptides and free amino acids in the mixed yoghurt analogues may enhance bioavailability, especially regarding essential amino acids.
How it was done
The authors wanted to develop plant-based milk and yoghurt alternatives that taste good, meet nutritional needs, and contain live probiotic bacteria that can exert beneficial health effects.
They made milk analogues from almond and chickpea at five ratios (100% almond, 75% almond, 50% almond, 25% almond, 100% chickpea), each with about 3% protein. They fermented these with two lactic acid bacteria strains, Streptococcus thermophilus CIRM-BIA772 and Lactobacillus helveticus CIRM-BIA100, at 43°C until pH reached 4.5, then measured bacterial growth, sugars, acids, protein breakdown, amino acids, texture, sensory properties, and effects on human intestinal cells in lab tests.
What it can’t tell you
- The inflammation tests were done on human intestinal cells in the lab, not in people, so they cannot show what happens in the human body.
- The study did not test whether eating these yoghurt analogues affects health or inflammation in people.
- The long-term effects of eating these products are not known from this study.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
- Authors work at
- INRAE Institut Agro, France; Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Germany; Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Spain
The paper
- Title
- Mixing and fermenting chickpea and almond milk analogues to produce probiotic yoghurt analogues
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Silande C, Hickisch A, Strube A, et al (2025). Mixing and fermenting chickpea and almond milk analogues to produce probiotic yoghurt analogues. Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.). doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2025.117576Free full textPubMed 41185326DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error