The potential of non-dairy synbiotic instant beverage powder: Review on a new generation of healthy ready-to-reconstitute drinks

The functional foods market has experienced a rapid rise in the last few years because of the increased interest of consumers in adopting a healthy lifestyle. The application of probiotics and prebiotics together with non-dairy ingredients like fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, and agro-food waste for developing pro- and synbiotic beverages and powders has gained particular interest. The drying techniques not only enhance the shelf life of the powdered product and provides better storage and bulk handling facilities but also fulfill consumer's need being a convenience product. The disadvantages exhibited by dairy products like lactose intolerance, allergies to milk, veganism, etc., allow non-dairy probiotic beverage-based powders to offer a form of substitute. However, with the already established dairy market, the entry of non-dairy alternatives is comparatively slow. The present review discusses the potential of non-dairy probiotic beverages in form of dried and ready-to-reconstitute powders in comparison with dairy-based powders. The market growth and the impact of such products on consumer acceptance and human health are also presented. The challenges faced by manufacturers and process development for NDIBP are also briefly discussed. Such an integrated knowledge of researches done on the development of probiotic instant beverage powder will provide an opportunity to explore the field of probiotics, prebiotics, drying technology, and non-dairy alternatives.