Work

Vitamin D-Fortified Plant-Based Beverages: Perspective on Nutritional Value and Consumers’ Perception

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Plant-based beverages (PBBs) can be fortified to contribute to vitamin D intake. The nutritional composition of vitamin D-fortified PBBs (FPBBs) and consumer use of PBBs are examined through a three-phase technique that included a 2010–2025 national registry retrospective study (vitamin D FPBBs = 167), an on-shelf market survey (vitamin D FPBBs = 111), and a consumer survey on 225 subjects. Coconut-based PBBs had the highest vitamin D mean (0.84 μg/100 mL) in the registry database, although in the market survey oat-based PBBs had the highest vitamin D average (0.91 μg/100 mL). The compositional heterogeneity of FPBB matrices was confirmed by non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis tests across five broader botanical categories (soy, nuts, coconut, grains, blended), for carbohydrate content (χ2 = 52.43, df = 4, p < 0.001), protein content (χ2 = 55.85, df = 4, p < 0.001), lipid content (χ2 = 26.94, df = 4, p < 0.001), and calorie content (χ2 = 34.31, df = 4, p < 0.001). In contrast, vitamin D content did not differ significantly across these categories (χ2 = 8.21, df = 4, p = 0.084). Dietary preferences were the main drivers of daily use (48.3% of consumers), while the subgroup driven by general health benefits or vitamin D fortification tended to consume these products mainly weekly (33.3%) or occasionally (42.8%). The mean serving size reported by respondents was 157.14 mL. Since vitamin D status was not biochemically assessed, this study does not evaluate whether current consumption addresses population-level vitamin D status. These findings highlight the need for front-of-pack labelling on nutritional density and fortification.

Source: Applied Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/app16178817