Wheat milk-oat milk flavor essence suitable for plant-based beverage, preparation method and application

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of edible essence, in particular to wheat milk-oat milk flavor essence suitable for plant-based drinks, a preparation method and application. The essence comprises the following components in parts by mass: a cereal-oat flavor component, a frankincense milk flavor component, a wheat milk sweet aroma and scorch aroma enhancing component, a beany flavor / green flavor masking and mouth feel coordinating component and a carrier and shaping component, and the cereal-oat flavor component comprises enzymolysis oat powder, an oat slurry concentrate, a malt / roasted wheat flavor base material and the like. The frankincense milk flavor component comprises specific lactone, diacetyl, acetoin and the like, and the masking component is composed of esters and coconut / fruit flavor type spices. The essence disclosed by the invention does not contain protein and milk fat from milk and dairy products, is suitable for oat drinks, oat-soybean protein composite drinks and solid drinks, can construct a composite flavor close to wheat milk / oat milk in a plant-based system, remarkably reduces beany flavor and cereal raw and green smell, and improves flavor coordination and shelf life stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of food flavoring technology, and in particular to a wheat milk-oat milk flavoring suitable for plant-based beverages, its preparation method, and its application. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the increasing health awareness of residents and the growing consumer demand for products made from lactose intolerance and vegetarianism, plant-based beverages made from oats, beans, nuts, and other ingredients have developed rapidly. Oat milk drinks, malted milk drinks, and oat + bean compound protein drinks have gradually become important categories in the beverage market. Although these products have advantages such as "low burden" and "more natural" in terms of nutritional structure and ingredient labels, they still have significant differences in flavor and sensory experience compared to traditional dairy products. Specifically, oat-based grains often have a distinct raw grain taste and grassy taste. When combined with bean or pea protein, they are prone to producing a beany or earthy taste. The overall taste is rather "raw," "bland," and "rough," making it difficult to present the round, smooth, and harmonious flavor of traditional malted milk powder or milk drinks.

[0003] At the level of food safety regulations, the National Food Safety Standard for Food Flavors (GB30616-2020) systematically stipulates the definition of food flavors, the types of flavorings permitted, the scope of excipients, and physicochemical indicators. It requires enterprises to meet sensory and technological requirements while complying with the usage principles and limits of GB30616 and related standards (such as GB2760) when developing and using food flavors. Under this standard, the technological development of flavorings specifically for plant-based beverages, especially "wheat milk-oat milk" flavorings, must consider both regulatory compliance and the target flavor profile and compatibility with plant protein systems.

[0004] In existing technologies, several technical solutions have been proposed for processing grain flavors, frankincense flavors, and plant protein beverages. For example, Chinese invention patent CN101602983A proposes a novel roasted wheat flavoring. This flavoring uses various pyrazines, furanones, sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds, maltol, and ethyl maltol as its main components, which can impart a distinct aroma of roasted wheat to the product. It is suitable for roasted grain beverages, especially wheat-flavored milk beverages. This flavoring also enhances the taste and masks the earthy and musty odor of beans and grains in the base material. This solution shows that by specifically designing heat-reactive flavor substances such as pyrazines and furanones, the characteristics of "roasted wheat / roasted grains" can be achieved, and the beany smell in grain beverages can be improved to a certain extent. However, this patent mainly targets whole grain beverages with roasted aroma characteristics. Its aroma focuses on the flavor of roasted wheat and roasted grains. In essence, it still relies on the milk base in the traditional dairy product system to carry the overall perception of "wheat milk". It does not design a complete wheat milk-oat milk flavor for "plant-based beverages without milk and dairy product ingredients", nor does it address the issue of using oat extracts / enzymes to construct a real oat milk base.

[0005] In the area of ​​frankincense flavor, Chinese invention patent CN102551012A discloses a condensed milk flavoring. The flavor base of this flavoring is composed of ethyl maltol, decanoic acid, butylated decyl lactone, and butylated dodecalactone, among other components. Combined with solvents, surfactants, carriers, and other excipients, it can impart a natural condensed milk aroma and taste to beverages and other foods. Its characteristics include a rich milky flavor, a distinct condensed milk characteristic, and low cost. The above solution demonstrates that through the synergistic effect of lactones and organic acids, a rich milky texture and condensed milk flavor can be effectively constructed. However, this type of condensed milk flavoring is mainly used for dairy beverages, lactose-containing or dairy fat-containing products. Its formulation design does not take into account the beany or raw grain flavors common in plant-based beverages, nor does it explicitly require that the flavoring be completely free of milk protein and milk fat. In terms of sensory positioning, it is more inclined to the style of traditional dairy products. If it is simply transferred to oat milk or soy-based plant protein beverages, there will often be problems with the milky taste being inconsistent with the grain or soy base. Moreover, there are restrictions on compliance and market acceptance in directly using "condensed milk" flavoring in products that are labeled as "dairy-free" or "plant-based".

[0006] On the other hand, regarding the processing technology of plant-based protein beverages, Chinese invention patent CN101731716A discloses a method for preparing plant-based protein beverages. Through steps such as screening, roasting, peeling, impurity removal, grinding, preliminary dissolution, ultrasonic processing, ingredient mixing, homogenization, and bottling, this method significantly improves raw material utilization and protein extraction rate while reducing homogenization pressure and production costs. In this patent embodiment, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and other nuts are used as plant protein raw materials. The plant-based protein beverage is prepared through ultrasonic processing combined with subsequent homogenization and sterilization processes. Simultaneously, sugar, acidity regulators, and common edible flavorings (such as milk flavoring and cream flavoring) are added during the ingredient mixing stage to improve the flavor. Although this technology improves the stability and nutritional utilization of plant protein beverages in terms of process flow, indicating that adding flavorings to such products to enhance flavor is a common practice, it does not specifically design the structure of the flavorings themselves. It only generally suggests using "milk flavoring, cream flavoring, or egg and milk flavoring," without grouping and systematically constructing flavors for specific off-flavor sources (such as grassy or beany tastes) of plant-based ingredients such as oats and beans, and it does not involve the specific flavor type of "wheat milk-oat milk."

[0007] Based on the above existing technologies, we can see that: on the one hand, roasted wheat flavorings for whole grain beverages (such as CN101602983A) can provide a relatively mature "roasted / baked" grain aroma and also have a certain function of masking beany smell. However, the aroma focus is on roasted grains, which is still significantly different from the "milky malt milk + oat milk" complex flavor that consumers expect. On the other hand, condensed milk flavoring patents (such as CN102551012A) can create a rich milky and condensed milk taste, but it is difficult to match naturally and harmoniously with oat and bean bases in dairy-free formulas. The general plant protein beverage process patents (such as CN101731716A) only propose the concept of "adding milk flavorings" and do not provide a special flavor system suitable for plant-based beverages, especially oat milk beverages.

[0008] With the refinement of plant-based beverage categories, new products such as "oat milk coffee drinks," "oat cocoa drinks," and "malted milk oat mixed drinks" have emerged in the market. These products are usually required to achieve an aroma and taste close to malted milk drinks or oat milk drinks without using milk or dairy products. That is, they must have a distinct malty and oat grain aroma, as well as a mellow, smooth, slightly fatty and caramel sweet "milky" experience, while effectively masking the beany and raw grain odors from oats and plant proteins. Currently, there is a lack of a "wheat milk-oat milk flavoring" specifically designed for plant-based beverages. This flavoring, while adhering to the national food safety standard GB30616, uses a rational combination of grain-oat flavor, lactones, malt sweetness and caramel-enhancing components, and a top note to mask beany / green taste. This creates a flavor-building method specifically for oat and plant protein systems, enabling plant-based beverages to achieve a complex flavor and good taste close to traditional malt milk beverages even without dairy. This is precisely the technical problem that current technologies have not yet fully solved. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The technical objective of this invention is to provide a malted milk-oat milk flavoring suitable for plant-based beverages and its preparation method, while complying with the national food safety standard GB30616. This is achieved by systematically compounding grain-oat flavor components, milky aroma components, malted milk sweetness and caramel aroma enhancing components, and harmonizing components that mask beany / green tastes. Without adding milk or dairy products, this creates a complex flavor profile for oat and plant protein-based beverages that closely resembles traditional malted milk and oat milk beverages. It also effectively masks the beany and raw grain tastes from plant proteins, enhancing the overall flavor harmony and palatability of the product.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A malted milk-oat milk flavoring suitable for plant-based beverages, comprising, by weight, the following components: Grain-oat flavor component: 5–35 parts; Frankincense and milky aroma components: 0.5–15 parts; 0.2–10 parts of malted milk sweetness and caramel aroma enhancing components; Masking beany / green taste and flavor-harmonizing components: 0.1–5 parts; 40–90 parts of carrier and excipient components; The mass ratio of the cereal-oat flavor component, the milky aroma component, the malty sweet aroma and caramel aroma enhancing component, and the component that masks the beany / green taste and harmonizes the flavor is 1-4:0.3-2:0.1-1:0.05-0.6. The malt sweetness and caramel aroma enhancing components include two or more of the following compounds: maltol, ethyl maltol, furanone caramel flavor substances, vanillin, and ethyl vanillin; the masking beany / green flavor and taste harmonizing components include two or more of the following esters and flavorings: isoamyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, hexyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, coconut flavoring, and light fruit flavoring.

[0011] Preferably, the flavoring comprises, by weight parts: 10–30 parts of cereal-oat flavoring component; Frankincense and milky aroma components: 1.0–10 parts; 0.5–8.0 parts of malted milk sweetness and caramel aroma-enhancing components; Masking beany / green taste and flavor-harmonizing components: 0.5–2.0 parts; 50–90 parts of carrier and excipient components.

[0012] Preferably, the cereal-oat flavor component includes one or more of the following combinations: enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour or oat milk concentrate, oat extract, malt extract, reactive malt flavor base, roasted barley or wheat extract; And / or, the frankincense and milk flavor components include two or more of the following compounds: δ-decanolide, γ-decanolide, γ-nonanolide, δ-dodecanolide, acetoin, diacetyl and their homologues or isomers permitted for use in food flavorings; And / or, the carrier and excipients include one or more of water, edible ethanol, propylene glycol, and glycerin, and optionally an emulsifier or encapsulating agent selected from one or more of sucrose fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, gum arabic, and modified starch.

[0013] Preferably, the cereal-oat flavor component includes: The enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour or oat milk concentrate accounts for 20-60% of the mass of the grain-oat flavor components. The malt extract comprises 10–40% by mass of the aforementioned cereal-oat flavor components. The reactive wheat flavor base accounts for 10-40% of the mass of the grain-oat flavor components; And / or, the mass ratio of δ-decanolide to γ-nonanolide in the frankincense and milky aroma components is (1-3):1, and the mass ratio of acetoin to diacetyl is (2-6):1.

[0014] Preferably, the mass of ethyl maltol in the malt sweetness and caramel aroma enhancing components accounts for 20-60% of the total mass of the components, and the mass ratio of vanillin to ethyl vanillin is (0.5-2):1; And / or, in the masking beany / green flavor and taste-harmonizing components: the mass ratio of isoamyl acetate to ethyl butyrate is (1-4):1; the amount of coconut flavoring added accounts for 10-40% of the total mass of the components.

[0015] Preferably, the mass ratio of propylene glycol to water in the carrier and excipient components is (1-3):1, and the mass of gum arabic and / or modified starch accounts for 3-15% of the total mass of the fragrance.

[0016] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a method for preparing the aforementioned wheat milk-oat milk flavoring, comprising the following steps: S1. Weigh the grain-oat flavor component raw materials according to the formula, and mix the enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour or oat pulp concentrate, malt extract and reactive malt flavor base material evenly at 40-70 ℃ to obtain the grain-oat flavor premix liquid. S2. Add frankincense and milk flavoring raw materials to the carrier and excipient components, and stir to dissolve at 25-45 ℃ to obtain frankincense and milk flavoring solution; S3. Add the malt sweetness and caramel aroma enhancement components, as well as the masking beany / green taste and taste-harmonizing components to the frankincense and milky aroma solution in sequence, keep stirring for 10 to 60 minutes, and control the system temperature to not exceed 50 ℃ to obtain the flavor mixture. S4. Slowly add the grain-oat flavor premix obtained in step S1 to the flavor mixture obtained in step S3, and continue to stir and homogenize for 20-60 min. If necessary, use high-shear homogenization or colloid milling to ensure that the particle size D90 of the flavor system is not greater than 20 μm. After cooling to room temperature, let stand and filter to obtain the wheat milk-oat milk flavor flavor.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a plant-based beverage, characterized in that it comprises a plant-based beverage base and the aforementioned malted milk-oat milk flavoring, wherein the amount of the malted milk-oat milk flavoring added to the plant-based beverage is 0.03-0.30% by weight, and the plant-based beverage base comprises: Grain-based bases primarily composed of oats, oat flour, or enzymatically hydrolyzed oat milk, and / or plant-based protein bases primarily composed of legumes, peas, or nuts; Optional sweeteners, stabilizers, vegetable oils, and other food ingredients permitted for use in plant-based beverages; Furthermore, the total plant protein content in the plant-based beverage is 1.0% to 5.0% by mass.

[0018] Preferably, the plant-based beverage is a ready-to-drink oat milk beverage or an oat-soy mixed plant protein beverage sold at room temperature or under refrigeration, which retains a distinct wheat-milk aroma complex flavor and has no obvious beany / green taste after UHT sterilization or pasteurization.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a method for improving the flavor of plant-based beverages, specifically malted milk-oat milk flavoring, comprising adding the malted milk-oat milk flavoring to a plant-based beverage base containing oats and / or plant proteins, wherein the amount of the malted milk-oat milk flavoring added to the plant-based beverage is 0.03 to 0.30% by mass, thereby enabling the plant-based beverage to obtain a complex flavor of malted milk and milk aroma and a smooth mouthfeel, similar to that of malted milk beverages, without adding milk or dairy product ingredients, while effectively reducing the beany and raw grain taste brought by oat and plant protein raw materials.

[0020] This invention constructs a cereal-oat flavor base by combining real oat extract or enzymatically hydrolyzed oat milk with a reactive malt flavor base. This base is then synergistically compounded with specific proportions of mastic lactones (such as δ-decanolide, γ-nonanolide, etc.), diacetyl / acetoin-type mastic substances, maltol / ethyl maltol, and vanillin-type malt sweetness and caramel aroma enhancing components. Furthermore, it is supplemented with masking and harmonizing components composed of isoamyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, and coconut or light fruit flavorings. This allows the resulting flavor to exhibit a complex flavor profile of "malt, frankincense, and light caramel sweetness" in plant-based beverages, similar to malted milk and oat milk beverages, without the presence of milk protein or milk fat, while significantly reducing the malt and milk flavor profiles. The beany, raw grain, and powdery flavors of plant protein ingredients such as soybeans and peas are mitigated. Meanwhile, by limiting the mass ratios of grain-oat flavor components, milky aroma components, malted sweetness and caramel-enhancing components, and components that mask the beany / raw taste, the stability and reproducibility of aroma release under different plant-based formulations and different sterilization processes (such as pasteurization and UHT sterilization) are ensured. This results in plant-based beverages with added flavorings having a smoother, more rounded mouthfeel, higher initial and aftertaste retention, and reduced flavor decay and risk of flavor imbalance during shelf life, thereby significantly improving the sensory quality and consumer acceptance of plant-based oat beverages. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0022] I. Terminology and Raw Material Selection To facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art, some terms used in this specification are explained as follows: 1. "Grain-Oat Flavor Component" This refers to flavor ingredients and mixtures thereof that can provide the aroma characteristics of oats, malt, baked grains, etc., including but not limited to: Enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour: a powder obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of food-grade oat flour with complex enzymes such as amylase and protease at 45-60℃, followed by spray drying. Oat milk concentrate: a paste-like substance obtained by gelatinizing oat flakes with water at high temperature, homogenizing, filtering, and then concentrating. Oat extract: an oat-flavored fraction extracted with ethanol-water or water as a solvent; Malt extract: Commercially available brewer's malt or roasted malt concentrate; Roasted barley or wheat extract; Reactive wheat flavor base: A flavor base with roasted wheat and nutty aromas formed through Maillard reaction of amino compounds with reducing sugars.

[0023] 2. "Frankincense and milk flavor components" It refers to flavoring compositions that construct typical flavors of dairy products such as milk, condensed milk, and cream by using compounds such as lactones, diacetyl, and acetoin, including δ-decyl lactone, γ-decyl lactone, γ-nonyl lactone, δ-dodecyl lactone, acetoin, diacetyl and their food-grade homologues or mixtures.

[0024] 3. "Malt milk sweetness and caramel aroma enhancement components" It refers to flavoring combinations that can enhance the sweet, caramel, and roasted aromas in malted milk beverages, such as maltol, ethyl maltol, furanone caramel flavorings, vanillin, and ethyl vanillin.

[0025] 4. "Components that mask the beany / green taste and harmonize the flavor" It refers to a combination of flavorings that primarily mask and balance the beany and grassy notes in plant protein systems through light and cheerful notes such as fruity and coconut aromas at the top. Examples include isoamyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, hexyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, coconut flavorings, and light fruit flavorings.

[0026] 5. "Carrier and Excipient Components" This refers to solvents and excipients used to dissolve and disperse the aforementioned flavoring components, including edible solvents such as water, ethanol, propylene glycol, and glycerin, as well as emulsifiers or encapsulating agents such as sucrose fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, gum arabic, and modified starch. In this invention, propylene glycol and water are primarily used as solvents, and gum arabic and modified starch are used as encapsulating materials for powdered flavorings.

[0027] 6. "Plant-based beverages" It refers to a beverage system that uses plant-based ingredients such as oats, beans, nuts, and seeds as the main protein source, and adds little or no milk or dairy products. This includes ready-to-drink oat milk drinks at room temperature or refrigerated, oat + bean protein complex drinks, oat + nut protein drinks, etc.

[0028] Unless otherwise specified, all flavoring ingredients used in this embodiment are food-grade, commercially available products that meet the requirements of GB30616, or intermediates prepared according to conventional methods in the food flavoring industry; the water is deionized water or softened water.

[0029] II. Preparation method of wheat milk-oat milk flavoring The preparation of the wheat milk-oat milk flavoring of the present invention can be carried out according to the following general steps: S1: Preparation of cereal-oat flavored premix Weigh out the enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour, oat milk concentrate, malt extract, roasted malt extract, and / or reactive malt flavor base according to the formula. First, disperse the enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour or concentrate in warm water at 40-70°C and stir for 10-30 minutes to allow it to fully swell or dissolve. Then add the malt extract and reactive malt flavor base and continue stirring for 20-40 minutes to ensure thorough mixing. If necessary, it can be processed for 5-10 minutes using a high-shear disperser at 2000-8000 r / min to obtain a uniform and fine grain-oat flavor premix.

[0030] S2: Preparation of Frankincense and Milk Flavor Solution In another mixing vessel, add propylene glycol, ethanol and / or water, heat to 25-45°C, weigh the frankincense and milky aroma components (lactones, diacetyl, acetoin, etc.) according to the formula, slowly add them to the solvent, and stir at 200-500 r / min for 15-30 min until completely dissolved to obtain a transparent or slightly turbid frankincense and milky aroma solution.

[0031] S3: Construction of Flavor Blend While maintaining stirring, add the malt sweetness and caramel aroma enhancement components (maltol, ethyl maltol, vanillin, etc.) and the masking beany / green taste and flavor-harmonizing components (isoamyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, coconut flavoring, etc.) to the frankincense and milky aroma solution in sequence. After each flavoring is added, continue stirring for 5 to 10 minutes to ensure complete dispersion and dissolution.

[0032] Throughout the process, the system temperature is controlled to not exceed 50℃, and the total stirring time is generally 30 to 60 minutes to obtain a flavoring mixture.

[0033] S4: Homogenization and cooling of the premix and flavoring mixture Under stirring conditions, the grain-oat flavor premix obtained in step S1 is slowly added to the flavor mixture in step S3. The addition time is generally controlled within 10 to 30 minutes to prevent excessive local concentration from causing stratification or turbidity. After mixing, continue stirring at 500 to 1000 r / min for 30 to 60 minutes. If necessary, use a high-shear homogenizer for 10 to 20 minutes of homogenization to control the particle size D90 of oil droplets or suspended particles in the flavor system to below 20 μm. Then, cool to room temperature, let stand for 12 to 24 hours, and filter to remove possible mechanical impurities to obtain the wheat milk-oat milk flavor product of the present invention.

[0034] The flavoring obtained by the above method can be a water-based or water-oil dual-use liquid flavoring, or it can be made into a powder flavoring by spray drying and co-encapsulation with gum arabic and modified starch. Those skilled in the art can choose according to the target application (for beverages, solid beverages, baking, etc.).

[0035] III. Examples

[0036] Example 1: Wheat milk-oat milk flavoring (liquid type) for ready-to-drink oat milk beverages 1. Fragrance formulation design In this embodiment, the proportions of each flavor component by weight are as follows: Grain-Oat Flavor Component: 20 servings Frankincense and milk flavor components: 6 parts 3 parts of malted milk sweetness and caramel aroma enhancement ingredients Masking beany / green taste and flavor-balancing ingredients: 1.5 parts Carrier and excipients (propylene glycol + water): 69.5 parts; The specific composition of each sub-component is as follows: (1) Grain-Oat Flavor Component (20 servings) Enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour: 8 servings Oat milk concentrate (40% solids): 6 portions Malt extract: 4 parts Reactive wheat flavor base: 2 parts; (2) Frankincense and milk flavor components (6 parts) δ-decanolide: 2.0 parts γ-nonanolide: 1.5 parts δ-Dodecalactone: 0.8 parts Marriage of spouse B: 1.0 unit Diacetyl: 0.7 parts; (3) Malt sweetness and caramel aroma enhancement components (3 parts) Maltol: 1.2 parts Ethyl maltol: 0.8 parts Vanillin: 0.6 parts Ethyl vanillin: 0.4 parts; (4) Masking components for beany / green taste and flavor coordination (1.5 parts) Isoamyl acetate: 0.5 parts Ethyl butyrate: 0.3 parts Hexyl acetate: 0.2 parts Coconut flavoring: 0.3 parts Mixed light fruity flavoring: 0.2 parts; (5) Carrier and excipient components (69.5 parts) Propylene glycol: 50 parts Deionized water: 19.5 parts.

[0037] 2. Preparation steps (1) Preparation of cereal-oat flavored premix (S1) Add 15L of deionized water to a 50L stainless steel mixing tank equipped with a stirrer and temperature control, heat to 55℃, and start stirring (400 rpm). While stirring, slowly add 8kg of enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour to prevent clumping, and stir for 20 minutes until completely dispersed; then add 6kg of oat syrup concentrate and 4kg of malt extract, and continue stirring for 30 minutes. Finally, add 2kg of reactive malt flavor base, increase the stirring speed to 800 rpm, and stir for 10 minutes to fully mix and obtain a homogeneous grain-oat flavor premix.

[0038] (2) Preparation of frankincense and milky aroma solution (S2) Add 50 kg of propylene glycol and 10 kg of deionized water to another 100 L stirred tank, and control the system temperature at 30 °C. Weigh out δ-decanolide, γ-nonanolide, δ-dodecanolide, acetoin and diacetyl in sequence according to the formula, add each monomer to the propylene glycol / water mixed solvent, stir at 300 r / min for 30 min, until no undissolved oily substances are observed, and a transparent or microemulsion frankincense-flavored solution is obtained.

[0039] (3) Preparation of flavor and fragrance mixture (S3) In a frankincense and milky fragrance solution, maltol, ethyl maltol, vanillin, and ethyl vanillin are added in sequence. Each solid fragrance is pre-dissolved in a small amount of propylene glycol before being added slowly to avoid excessive local concentration and crystallization. The mixture is stirred at 300–400 rpm for 20 minutes. Then, isoamyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, hexyl acetate, coconut fragrance, and mixed light fruit fragrance are added. The system temperature is kept below 40°C, and the mixture is stirred for 20 minutes to obtain a fragrance flavor mixture.

[0040] (4) Homogenization of premix and flavor mixture (S4) The grain-oat flavor premix obtained in step (1) was slowly pumped into the flavor mixture obtained in step (3) over 30-40 minutes, while stirring at 400-600 r / min. After mixing, a high-shear homogenizer was used at 6000 r / min for 15 minutes, and the particle size D90 of the system was measured to be 12 μm. After homogenization was stopped, the mixture was allowed to cool naturally to 25°C, and the flavor was transferred to a storage tank. After standing for 24 hours, it was filtered through a 200-mesh filter, packed into a sealed container, and the malted milk-oat milk flavor of this embodiment was obtained.

[0041] 3. Application in oat milk beverages To prepare ready-to-drink oat milk beverages, the following formula is provided (by weight percentage): Oat milk (equivalent to 3% oat solids): 50.0% White sugar: 5.0% Vegetable oil (sunflower seed oil): 1.5% Stabilizer (a blend of gellan gum, carrageenan, and guar gum): 0.25% Fragrance in this embodiment: 0.10% The remaining amount is water: replenish to 100%.

[0042] Process flow: Oat milk, sugar, stabilizer and water are mixed and dissolved at 60-70℃, vegetable oil is added and pre-emulsified; homogenization is carried out under two-stage homogenization conditions of 20MPa / 5MPa; pasteurization is carried out at 95℃ for 5min or UHT sterilization at 137℃ for 4s; after cooling, it is aseptically filled and sealed.

[0043] The evaluation by a 15-person trained sensory panel showed that the product has a distinct oat grain aroma and malt milk aroma, a smooth and non-greasy milky texture, and significantly reduced beany and raw grain flavors. The overall flavor is close to that of traditional malt milk drinks and is more in line with the positioning of "plant-based oat milk".

[0044] Example 2: Wheat milk-oat milk flavoring for oat-soy protein compound plant beverages Based on Example 1, this embodiment adjusts the proportions of each group and the formulation of the masking components, making it more suitable for plant-based beverages containing high levels of soy or pea protein.

[0045] 1. Fragrance Formula Grain-Oat Flavor Components: 18 servings Frankincense and milk flavor components: 8 parts 4 parts of malted milk sweetness and caramel aroma enhancement ingredients Masking ingredients for beany / green taste and flavor harmony: 3 parts Carrier and excipient components: 67 parts; Compared to Example 1, the proportions of frankincense and masking components were appropriately increased to address the strong beany odor and powdery feel of soy protein.

[0046] The components that mask the beany / green taste are: Isoamyl acetate: 0.8 parts Ethyl butyrate: 0.7 parts Hexyl acetate: 0.5 parts Coconut flavoring: 0.5 parts Lemon / apple complex fruit flavoring: 0.5 parts Other sub-components can be referenced from Example 1, with slight adjustments to the proportions.

[0047] 2. Preparation process The preparation steps are basically the same as in Example 1, with only slight adjustments to the process parameters: In the cereal-oat premix S1, the amount of enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour is slightly reduced and the proportion of reactive wheat flavor base is increased to enhance the roasted wheat flavor. In S2, the total amount of lactones in the frankincense and milk flavor solution is increased by about 20%, and acetoin and diacetyl are slightly increased to make the milky feel fuller; In S3, all masking components are added and stirred below 35°C to reduce volatilization loss; In S4, the homogenization conditions were 5000 r / min for 20 min, and the particle size D90 was controlled at around 15 μm.

[0048] 3. Application in oat-soy protein drinks Example recipe (by weight): Oat milk (equivalent to 2.5% oat solids): 40.0% Soy protein liquid (equivalent to 2.0% protein): 20.0% White sugar: 6.0% Vegetable oil (rapeseed oil): 1.0% Stabilizer compound: 0.30% Fragrance in this embodiment: 0.15% The remaining amount is water: replenish to 100%.

[0049] Process: Mixing – Homogenization (25MPa / 5MPa) – UHT sterilization (137℃ / 4s) – Aseptic filling.

[0050] Sensory evaluation results show that, compared with samples without added flavoring or with added traditional milk flavoring (see comparative example), the product of this embodiment has a significantly reduced beany taste, a significantly enhanced overall milky feel, better coordination between oat and bean aromas, and a slight fruity and coconut aroma in the finish, making it more refreshing and more acceptable overall.

[0051] Example 3: Powdered wheat milk-oat milk flavoring and its application in solid beverages 1. Powdered flavoring formula Liquid fragrance base (prepared according to Example 1 or a similar formulation): 30 parts Gum arabic: 40 parts Modified starch: 20 parts Maltodextrin: 10 parts The proportions of components A, B, C, and D in the liquid fragrance base still meet the requirements of this invention.

[0052] 2. Preparation of powdered flavorings by spray drying Add gum arabic, modified starch and maltodextrin to 3 times their weight of warm water (50-60℃), stir to dissolve and form a uniform wall material solution; slowly add liquid fragrance base under stirring conditions, control the solid mass ratio of fragrance base to wall material solution to be about 1:3, and homogenize for 10 min using a high-speed shear machine at 6000 r / min to obtain a uniform emulsion feed liquid. The feed liquid is fed into a spray drying tower with an inlet air temperature of 170°C, an outlet air temperature of 80°C, and an atomization pressure of 15MPa. A light yellow free-flowing powder is collected, which is powdered wheat milk-oat milk flavoring.

[0053] 3. Application in solid beverages Example formula (solid beverage powder, percentage by mass): Instant oat flour: 50.0% White sugar or glucose powder: 30.0% Vegetable butter powder: 10.0% In this embodiment, the powdered flavoring content is 3.0%. Stabilizers and anti-caking agents: 2.0% Other vitamin and mineral premix powder: 5.0% Add the above ingredients in sequence to a mixer and mix for 20 minutes. After sieving, package with nitrogen. Consumers can obtain a solid beverage with a distinct malted milk / oat milk flavor by adding 20g of solid beverage powder to 150mL of warm water.

[0054] Sensory evaluation showed that the solid beverage had a full aroma, with a harmonious blend of wheat and milk flavors. After reconstitution, there was no obvious beany or raw starch taste, and the flavor decayed little after 6 months of powder storage.

[0055] IV. Comparative Example To further demonstrate the importance of the flavor formulation structure and synergistic effects of the components in this invention, the following comparative examples were designed.

[0056] Comparative Example 1: Flavoring without masking of beany / green flavor components In Comparative Example 1, the flavoring formula was basically the same as in Example 1, but no masking components for beany / green flavor and taste coordination were added, i.e., the amount of component D was 0, and the amount of cereal-oat flavor component and frankincense component was increased accordingly to keep the total amount unchanged.

[0057] The flavoring was added to an oat-soy protein complex beverage at the same amount as in Example 1, and samples were prepared using the same process. Sensory evaluation results showed that a distinct oat and milky aroma was initially detectable, but the beany and raw grain notes became more prominent in the mid-to-late stages; the overall flavor was "dull" and "heavy," lacking a refreshing top, and the lingering aftertaste in the mouth was prolonged; the overall acceptance score from test subjects was significantly lower than in Example 2. This indicates that the specific D-group masking and harmonizing components play an important role in suppressing the off-flavor of plant protein and balancing the overall flavor.

[0058] Comparative Example 2: Plant-based beverages using only traditional milk flavoring High-quality commercial milk flavoring was selected and added to the same oat-soy protein complex beverage base as in Example 2 at an addition amount of 0.10% (without adding the flavoring of this invention).

[0059] The beverage prepared under the same processing conditions yielded the following sensory evaluation results: The initial aroma had a certain milky fragrance, but the harmony between the milky aroma and the oat and bean base was poor, with the milky flavor "floating" on the surface; the beany taste remained pronounced, especially in the mid-to-late stages and aftertaste; the overall taste was cloyingly sweet, lacking the characteristic grain aroma of malted milk and oats, and the product positioning was closer to "soy milk + milk flavoring," which did not match the expected style of "malted milk-oat milk beverage." This indicates that traditional milk flavorings are difficult to use directly in plant-based beverages to achieve the flavor effect of this invention.

[0060] Comparative Example 3: Cereal Flavoring without Oat Extract / Enzymatic Hydrolysate In Comparative Example 3, based on Example 1, the enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour and oat milk concentrate in the cereal-oat flavor component were all replaced with roasted wheat extract and corn starch hydrolysate, while the proportions of other components remained unchanged.

[0061] The flavoring was applied to an oat beverage containing only oat milk and no soy protein. Sensory evaluation showed a strong roasted grain aroma, with an overall style close to "cereal beverage" or "roasted grain beverage"; however, it lacked the characteristic "porridge-like" texture and "milky grain sweetness" of oats, and did not match the flavor of the actual oat ingredients in the formula; consumers' subjective evaluation of the "oat milky feel" was significantly lower than that of the product in Example 1. This indicates that introducing real oat extracts or enzymatic hydrolysates into the grain components is necessary to construct a flavor profile that fits the oat base, and roasted grain extracts alone cannot achieve the "oat milky" feel expected in this invention.

[0062] V. Experimental Methods and Data (I) Experiment 1: Sensory evaluation of ready-to-drink oat milk beverage 1. Experimental Objective The application effect of the wheat milk-oat milk flavoring prepared in Example 1 in oat milk beverages was verified, especially its effect on "oat milk flavor construction" and "masking of beany / green taste", and compared with the comparative sample.

[0063] 2. Test Sample Setup Based on a standardized oat beverage base (containing approximately 3% oat solids and no soy protein), the following four sample groups were established: Sample A (Flavor of Example 1 of the present invention): The wheat milk-oat milk flavoring described in Example 1 was added, and the amount added was 0.10% of the total mass of the beverage.

[0064] Sample B (Comparative Example 1, without masking components): The formula is basically the same as that of Example 1, but the flavor does not contain masking components for beany / green taste and flavor coordination (Group D). The remaining flavorings are added in equal proportions, and the total amount added is also 0.10%.

[0065] Sample C (Comparative Example 2, Traditional Milk Flavor): Instead of using the flavor of this invention, a commercial milk flavor was used, and the amount added was 0.10% of the total mass of the beverage.

[0066] Sample D (blank control): No flavorings added, only oat drink base.

[0067] All samples were processed using the same procedure: mixing at 60–70°C → two-stage homogenization at 20 MPa / 5 MPa → pasteurization at 95°C for 5 min → cooling to 25°C and then sealing and refrigerating for 24 h before sensory evaluation.

[0068] 3. Sensory evaluation methods Fifteen trained laboratory sensory evaluators were organized to randomly code and double-blindly evaluate samples A through D, using a 0-10 linear scale. Oat cereal aroma intensity: 0 indicates no cereal aroma, 10 indicates a strong and pleasant oat cereal aroma; Milky feel and roundness: 0 means no milky feel or very thin, 10 means extremely round and full; Beany / green flavor intensity: 0 means no beany / green flavor, 10 means very strong (the lower the score, the better). Flavor harmony: 0 is extremely unharmonious, and 10 is extremely harmonious and natural; Overall acceptance level: 0 means extremely disliked, and 10 means extremely liked.

[0069] Each evaluator evaluated four samples in sequence, giving an integer or half score for each indicator, and the average of 15 evaluators was taken as the statistical result.

[0070] 4. Test Results Table 1 shows the average sensory scores for the four samples.

[0071] Table 1. Sensory evaluation results of ready-to-drink oat milk beverages (mean value, n=15)

[0072] 5. Results Analysis As can be seen from Table 1: 1) Regarding the intensity of oat grain aroma, samples A and B were significantly higher than samples C and D, indicating that the combination of "enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour, oat pulp concentrate, malt extract, and reactive malt flavor base" can construct a clear and authentic oat grain aroma base in the flavoring.

[0073] 2) In terms of the smoothness of the milky texture, sample A scored the highest (8.3), slightly higher than sample B (7.2) and sample C (7.0), and much higher than sample D (3.1) without added flavoring. This indicates that the milky aroma component and the grain-oat flavor component in this invention work together to create a milky texture close to that of traditional malted milk drinks in plant-based beverages without the presence of milk and dairy products.

[0074] 3) Regarding the intensity of beany / green flavor, Sample A scored the lowest (1.8), significantly lower than Sample B (4.5), Sample C (4.0), and blank Sample D (6.2). The comparison with Sample B indicates that the masking and harmonizing components in Group D, consisting of "esters such as isoamyl acetate and ethyl butyrate + coconut / fruit top notes," can significantly reduce the beany and raw grain flavors from the plant-based ingredients, and are a crucial factor in achieving overall flavor enhancement.

[0075] 4) In terms of flavor harmony and overall acceptability, sample A was significantly better than the other three groups of samples, indicating that when constructing a multi-layered flavor structure of "oat grain aroma, milk aroma, light caramel sweet aroma, and top fruit / coconut aroma", the proportions of each component were reasonable, which could maintain the balance and naturalness of the overall flavor while ensuring the milky feel and oat aroma.

[0076] In summary, the application of the flavoring prepared in Example 1 of this invention in oat milk beverages can significantly improve the milky feel and oat aroma, and significantly reduce the beany / green taste, achieving a sensory effect superior to that of only grain-milk flavoring or traditional milk flavoring.

[0077] (II) Experiment 2: Suppression effect of beany odor in oat-soy protein compound beverage 1. Experimental Objective The effect of the flavoring of this invention on inhibiting the beany / green taste in plant-based beverages containing soy protein was verified by sensory evaluation and GC-MS detection of changes in typical beany and off-flavor substances, further demonstrating the synergistic effect of group D and the whole formula.

[0078] 2. Test sample Based on the flavoring formula of Example 2, an oat-soy protein complex beverage base containing soy protein (total plant protein approximately 2.0%) was selected, and three groups of samples were set up: Sample E (Fragrance of Example 2 of the present invention): 0.15% of the fragrance of Example 2 was added.

[0079] Sample F (Comparative Example 2, Traditional Milk Flavor): 0.155% commercial milk flavoring added.

[0080] Sample G (blank): No fragrance added, only base.

[0081] The process conditions are the same as before: mixing → 25MPa / 5MPa two-stage homogenization → UHT sterilization (137℃ / 4s) → cooling and filling.

[0082] 3. Sensory evaluation methods Similar to Experiment 1, the same group of 15 evaluators evaluated the "beany / green flavor intensity" and "overall flavor harmony and overall acceptability" using the same scoring method and definition.

[0083] 4. Overview of GC-MS detection methods Headspace volatile components from three groups of samples were selected and detected by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with GC-MS. The relative peak areas of several typical "bean-like / green" volatile substances were analyzed, including but not limited to: hexanal; 1-Octen-3-ol; nonanal; Other fatty acid oxidation products.

[0084] Using the same injection and analysis conditions, the peak areas of each target substance were normalized to relative values ​​(with the peak area in blank sample G set to 100%).

[0085] 5. Test Results Table 2. Sensory and GC-MS results related to the beany / green flavor of the oat-soy protein complex beverage.

[0086] 6. Results Analysis 1) Compared with blank sample G, the relative peak areas of typical “bean-like / grassy” volatile substances such as hexanal, 1-octen-3-ol, and nonanal in sample E decreased to about 45%, 52%, and 48%, respectively. This indicates that the combination of cereal-oat components, frankincense components, and masking components in the flavor of this invention can, to a certain extent, suppress or mask the odor contribution of these off-odor substances.

[0087] 2) Although traditional milk flavoring was added to sample F, the intensity of beany / green flavor decreased slightly in terms of sensory perception (score 5.0, compared to 7.0 for the control blank). However, the relevant peak area in GC-MS remained at approximately 78% to 85%, indicating that it covered rather than truly harmonized and masked off-flavors through the aroma of milk, resulting in an overall flavor that was not natural or harmonious enough.

[0088] 3) From the sensory data, sample E had the lowest beany / green taste score (2.3), and its flavor harmony and overall acceptability were significantly higher than those of samples F and G. This indicates that the flavor of the present invention can not only reduce the perception of off-flavors, but also better integrate with oat and soy protein base to create a more pleasant wheat milk-oat milk complex flavor.

[0089] (III) Experiment 3: Shelf-life flavor stability test 1. Experimental Objective The flavor stability of plant-based beverages using the flavoring of this invention under accelerated storage conditions was investigated and compared with samples using only traditional milk flavoring to verify the advantages of the formulation structure of this invention in terms of oxidation and volatility.

[0090] 2. Test Samples and Conditions Sample A (flavor of this invention) and Sample C (traditional milk flavor) from Experiment 1 were selected and filled into 200mL composite paper packaging containers respectively, and placed in: Store at room temperature (25℃) for 3 months; Accelerated storage (37°C) for 30 days (as an equivalent accelerated simulation).

[0091] Samples were taken at 0 days, 15 days of accelerated processing, and 30 days of accelerated processing for sensory evaluation and determination of total aroma intensity.

[0092] The total aroma intensity was determined by electronic nose or HS-GC-FID, and the initial value was normalized and expressed as "aroma retention rate (%)".

[0093] 3. Test Results Table 3. Aroma retention rate and sensory scores of samples under different storage times.

[0094] 4. Results Analysis 1) As the storage time increased, the aroma of both groups of samples showed a downward trend, but the aroma retention rate of sample A of the present invention was always higher than that of sample C, and it still maintained about 83% after 30 days of accelerated storage, while sample C only maintained about 65%.

[0095] 2) The overall sensory flavor score and aroma retention rate showed a similar trend. Sample C showed a significant decrease in aroma and a slight oxidative odor after 30 days of acceleration, with both frankincense and top notes becoming somewhat blurred. In contrast, Sample A maintained relatively clear oat and frankincense characteristics and did not exhibit any obvious off-odors.

[0096] This invention demonstrates that by rationally selecting lactones, malt sweeteners, grain bases, and masking components, and combining them with a suitable carrier system, the aroma stability and antioxidant capacity of flavorings in beverages can be improved, thereby ensuring the flavor quality of the product during its actual shelf life.

[0097] V. Summary of Technical Effects The above three experiments can comprehensively prove that: 1. Flavor building effect: When the wheat milk-oat milk flavoring of this invention is used in oat beverages and oat-soy protein beverages, it can significantly improve the smoothness of the milky texture and the intensity of the oat grain aroma without the presence of milk and dairy products, making the overall flavor close to that of traditional wheat milk / oat milk beverages.

[0098] 2. Odor masking and harmonizing effect: By setting up components to mask the beany / green taste and harmonize the taste (Group D), this invention significantly reduces the sensory score of beany / green taste, and the GC-MS data shows a significant decrease in the relative peak area of ​​typical beany and muttony substances, which is better than the comparative method that only uses traditional milk flavoring.

[0099] 3. Flavor stability: The flavor formulation of this invention exhibits a high aroma retention rate and overall flavor score under accelerated storage conditions, indicating that it has good application stability during industrial production and distribution storage.

[0100] Therefore, the above-mentioned experimental process and data fully demonstrate that, within the formulation scope defined by this invention, the technical solution of this invention can achieve the technical effects of "constructing wheat milk-oat milk flavor under dairy-free conditions, significantly suppressing off-flavors and improving flavor stability" in plant-based beverages, demonstrating substantial advantages over existing technologies.

[0101] The foregoing description of embodiments of the present invention, through which those skilled in the art are able to implement or use the present invention, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novelty disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A malted milk-oat milk flavoring suitable for plant-based beverages, characterized in that, The fragrance is composed of the following components by weight: Grain-oat flavor component: 5–35 parts; Frankincense and milky aroma components: 0.5–15 parts; 0.2–10 parts of malted milk sweetness and caramel aroma enhancing components; Masking beany / green taste and flavor-harmonizing components: 0.1–5 parts; 40–90 parts of carrier and excipient components; The mass ratio of the cereal-oat flavor component, the milky aroma component, the malty sweet aroma and caramel aroma enhancing component, and the component that masks the beany / green taste and harmonizes the flavor is 1-4:0.3-2:0.1-1:0.05-0.

6. The malt sweetness and caramel aroma enhancing components include two or more of the following compounds: maltol, ethyl maltol, furanone caramel flavor substances, vanillin, and ethyl vanillin; the masking beany / green flavor and taste harmonizing components include two or more of the following esters and flavorings: isoamyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, hexyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, coconut flavoring, and light fruit flavoring.

2. The wheat milk-oat milk flavoring according to claim 1, characterized in that, By weight, the flavoring comprises: 10–30 parts of cereal-oat flavoring component; Frankincense and milky aroma components: 1.0–10 parts; 0.5–8.0 parts of malted milk sweetness and caramel aroma-enhancing components; Masking beany / green taste and flavor-harmonizing components: 0.5–2.0 parts; 50-90 parts of carrier and excipient components.

3. The wheat milk-oat milk flavoring according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cereal-oat flavor component includes one or more of the following combinations: enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour or oat milk concentrate, oat extract, malt extract, reactive malt flavor base, roasted barley or wheat extract; And / or, the frankincense and milk flavor components include two or more of the following compounds: δ-decanolide, γ-decanolide, γ-nonanolide, δ-dodecanolide, acetoin, diacetyl and their homologues or isomers permitted for use in food flavorings; And / or, the carrier and excipients include one or more of water, edible ethanol, propylene glycol, and glycerin, and optionally an emulsifier or encapsulating agent selected from one or more of sucrose fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, gum arabic, and modified starch.

4. The wheat milk-oat milk flavoring according to claim 3, characterized in that, In the grain-oat flavor component: The enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour or oat milk concentrate accounts for 20-60% of the mass of the grain-oat flavor components. The malt extract comprises 10–40% by mass of the aforementioned cereal-oat flavor components. The reactive wheat flavor base accounts for 10-40% of the mass of the grain-oat flavor components; And / or, the mass ratio of δ-decanolide to γ-nonanolide in the frankincense and milky aroma components is (1-3):1, and the mass ratio of acetoin to diacetyl is (2-6):

1.

5. The wheat milk-oat milk flavoring according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, In the malt sweetness and caramel aroma enhancing components, ethyl maltol accounts for 20-60% of the total mass of the components, and the mass ratio of vanillin to ethyl vanillin is (0.5-2):

1. And / or, in the masking beany / green flavor and taste-harmonizing components: the mass ratio of isoamyl acetate to ethyl butyrate is (1-4):1; the amount of coconut flavoring added accounts for 10-40% of the total mass of the components.

6. The wheat milk-oat milk flavoring according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The mass ratio of propylene glycol to water in the carrier and excipient components is (1-3):1, and the mass of gum arabic and / or modified starch accounts for 3-15% of the total mass of the fragrance.

7. A method for preparing a wheat milk-oat milk flavoring as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Weigh the grain-oat flavor component raw materials according to the formula, and mix the enzymatically hydrolyzed oat flour or oat pulp concentrate, malt extract and reactive malt flavor base material evenly at 40-70 ℃ to obtain the grain-oat flavor premix liquid. S2. Add frankincense and milk flavoring raw materials to the carrier and excipient components, and stir to dissolve at 25-45 ℃ to obtain frankincense and milk flavoring solution; S3. Add the malt sweetness and caramel aroma enhancement components, as well as the masking beany / green taste and taste-harmonizing components to the frankincense and milky aroma solution in sequence, keep stirring for 10 to 60 minutes, and control the system temperature to not exceed 50 ℃ to obtain the flavor mixture. S4. Slowly add the grain-oat flavor premix obtained in step S1 to the flavor mixture obtained in step S3, and continue to stir and homogenize for 20-60 min. If necessary, use high-shear homogenization or colloid milling to ensure that the particle size D90 of the flavor system is not greater than 20 μm. After cooling to room temperature, let stand and filter to obtain the wheat milk-oat milk flavor flavor.

8. A plant-based beverage, characterized in that, The beverage comprises a plant-based beverage base and a malted milk-oat milk flavoring as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the malted milk-oat milk flavoring is added to the plant-based beverage at a weight percentage of 0.03 to 0.30%, and the plant-based beverage base comprises: Grain-based bases primarily composed of oats, oat flour, or enzymatically hydrolyzed oat milk, and / or plant-based protein bases primarily composed of legumes, peas, or nuts; Optional sweeteners, stabilizers, vegetable oils, and other food ingredients permitted for use in plant-based beverages; Furthermore, the total plant protein content in the plant-based beverage is 1.0% to 5.0% by mass.

9. The plant-based beverage according to claim 8, characterized in that, The plant-based beverages are ready-to-drink oat milk beverages or oat-soy mixed plant protein beverages sold at room temperature or under refrigeration. After UHT sterilization or pasteurization, they still retain a distinct wheat-milk aroma complex flavor and have no obvious beany / green taste.

10. A method for improving the flavor of plant-based beverages such as wheat milk and oat milk, characterized in that, The method includes adding the malted milk-oat milk flavoring as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 to a plant-based beverage base containing oats and / or plant proteins, wherein the amount of the malted milk-oat milk flavoring added to the plant-based beverage is 0.03% to 0.30% by mass, thereby enabling the plant-based beverage to obtain a complex malted-milk flavor and smooth taste similar to malted milk beverages without adding milk or dairy products, while effectively reducing the beany and raw grain taste from oat and plant protein raw materials.

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