On March 1, the Standard Evaluation Method for Edible and Nutritional Quality of Plant-Based Milk (T/CGFA015-2026), led by the Oil Crops Research Institute (OCRI) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), was officially released and implemented. The standard fills critical gaps in China’s evaluation system for plant-based milk, particularly in the dimensions of nutrition, sensory quality, digestion, and absorption, and is of great significance for the standardized development of the plant-based milk industry.

In recent years, the plant-based milk industry—using raw materials such as soybeans, walnuts, oats, and flaxseed—has developed rapidly. However, due to the absence of unified evaluation criteria for protein nutritional value, fat digestibility, and sensory quality, product quality across the sector has remained inconsistent. To address this issue, the Oil Crops Research Institute, in collaboration with the Institute of Food and Nutrition Development of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, as well as 18 research, industry, and inspection institutions including Feihe, V V Group, Jiake, SGS, Qiaqia, Dali Group, and Oatly, established a multi-dimensional evaluation framework covering sensory attributes, nutritional composition, digestibility, and safety indicators.

The framework constructs a sensory evaluation model incorporating positive attributes such as sweetness and creaminess, as well as negative attributes such as astringency and beany or fishy notes. It also establishes comprehensive evaluation models for ten categories of plant-based milk, including soy milk, nut-based milk, and flaxseed milk. In addition, an in vitro evaluation method for fat and protein digestibility has been developed, and internationally recognized amino acid scoring patterns have been introduced to assess protein nutritional value. These efforts not only define “what to evaluate” in plant-based milk nutritional quality but also standardize “how to evaluate it,” providing clear guidance for industrial R&D, quality control, and consumer selection.

Chen Yashu, a senior expert from the Innovation Team for Oil Quality Chemistry and Processing Utilization at OCRI and a key member of the Quality Safety and Nutritional Quality Evaluation post of the National Industrial Technology System for Specialty Oil Crops, stated that the standard aligns with the Central No. 1 Document on the deep processing of agricultural products. It plays an important role in promoting the transformation of oil crops from primary processing to high value-added deep processing. The research team will continue to strengthen technological innovation and the transformation of research outputs in plant-based milk, thereby contributing to the high-quality development of China’s plant-based milk industry.