Plants as a Complete Food Platform: A Unified Engineering Framework for Milk, Honey, Oils, Salts, and Flavor Products

Conventional food systems rely heavily on animal husbandry for milk and honey and on geological extraction for edible salts, creating sustainability, ethical, and supply-chain constraints. In contrast, plant biomass inherently contains structured carbohydrates (sucrose, starch, cellulose), lipids, proteins, organic acids, minerals, pigments, and volatile compounds that—when subjected to controlled biochemical and process-engineering transformations—can be reorganized into nutritionally and organoleptically analogous food products. This study proposes a unified biochemical and process-engineering framework for the conversion of diverse plant biomasses (including cereals, legumes, oilseeds, fruits, and leafy materials) into milk- like emulsified beverages, honey-like invert sugar syrups, mineral salt concentrates, edible oils, clarified juices, spice extracts, and plant-derived wax-like lipids. The framework integrates enzymatic carbohydrate hydrolysis (α-amylase, glucoamylase, invertase), protein solubilization and emulsification (pH 6.5–7.5), aqueous–thermal oil separation (60–90 °C), mineral ion concentration via aqueous extraction and controlled evaporation, enzymatic clarification using pectinase and cellulase, and phase-controlled lipid crystallization for wax-like fractions. Model composition ranges are provided based on established food-chemistry data: milk-like emulsions containing 1.5–4.0 % protein, 2.0–5.0 % lipid, and 3.0–6.0 % carbohydrate; honey-like syrups composed of 65–80 % total sugars with glucose-to-fructose ratios adjustable between 0.8–1.2; mineral concentrates yielding sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium salts at food-grade purity; and oil recoveries of 70–90 % of extractable lipid content depending on feedstock. Process safety parameters, microbial control strategies, and thermal limits for nutrient preservation are discussed. The proposed framework demonstrates that plant biomass can function as a universal biochemical feedstock for producing structurally and functionally comparable alternatives to animal- and mineral-derived foods using low-cost, scalable unit operations. This approach offers a scientifically grounded pathway toward decentralized food production, reduced environmental burden, and improved food security in resource-limited regions, while remaining compatible with existing food-processing infrastructure. Please check the attachment for details