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EP-4736658-A1 - CHEESE AND/OR CHEESE SUBSTITUTE AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME

EP4736658A1EP 4736658 A1EP4736658 A1EP 4736658A1EP-4736658-A1

Abstract

The present invention concerns a cheese or cheese substitute comprising proteinogenic matter derived from plant, preferably from lupine seeds. The cheese or cheese substitute further comprises added plant fat. The cheese or cheese substitute is preferably fermented using lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and/or molds. Furthermore, the cheese or cheese substitute is preferably aged, and can be a hard cheese that has aged for more than three months.

Inventors

  • Crespí, Miquel
  • Hunziker, Freddy

Assignees

  • New Roots AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20241031

Claims (20)

  1. A cheese or cheese substitute comprising a proteinogenic content comprising free amino acids, and a fat content, wherein 50 wt.% or more of said proteinogenic content is derived from lupine and/or is lupine-based proteinogenic content, said cheese comprising an aged rind comprising live microorganisms.
  2. The cheese or cheese substitute of claim 1, wherein said free amino acids are present at an amount of 7-300 g per kg of said cheese or cheese substitute, preferably 8-200 g, and most preferably 9-150g per kg of said cheese or cheese substitute.
  3. The cheese or cheese substitute of claim 1 or 2, wherein said free amino acids provide at least 4.0 wt% of said proteinogenic content, preferably at least 4.5 wt%, more preferably at least 5.0 wt% or more, and most preferably 5.5 wt% or more.
  4. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of claims 1-3, wherein said proteinogenic content provides 8-40 wt.%, preferably 10-35 wt%, more preferably 12-33 wt% of said cheese or cheese substitute.
  5. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said proteinogenic content comprises 1000 mg/kg or more, preferably 1500 mg/kg or more, more preferably 2000 mg/kg, even more preferably 2400 mg/kg or more, and most preferably 2600 mg/kg or more of free glutamic acid, and wherein preferably 3.5% or more of all glutamic acid of the cheese is present in the form of a free amino acid.
  6. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said proteinogenic content comprises 800 mg/kg or more, preferably 900 mg/kg or more, more preferably 1400 mg/kg or more and most preferably 1500 mg/kg or more of free leucine and wherein preferably 6wt% or more of all leucine in the cheese is present in the form of a free amino acid.
  7. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said proteinogenic content comprises 500mg/kg or more, preferably 600mg/kg or more, more preferably 700 mg/kg or more and most preferably 800 mg/kg or more of free isoleucine, and wherein preferably 6wt% or more of all isoleucine is present in the form of a free amino acid.
  8. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said proteinogenic content comprises 450 mg/kg or more, preferably 500 mg/kg or more, more preferably 600 mg/kg, even more preferably 700 mg/kg or more, and most preferably 800 mg/kg of free phenylalanine, and wherein preferably 5.5 wt% or more of all phenylalanine is present in the form of a free amino acid.
  9. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said proteinogenic content comprises free glutamic acid and one or more selected from free leucine, free isoleucine, and free phenylalanine at the quantities and preferably the preferred quantities as specified in claims 5-8.
  10. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said proteinogenic content comprises one or more selected from free valine, free proline and free tyrosine, wherein said free valine, free proline and free tyrosine, if present, are independently present at 400 mg/kg or more, 400 mg/kg or more, and 300 mg/kg or more, respectively.
  11. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said fat content provides 10-50wt.%, preferably 15-45%, even more preferably 20-40% of the cheese or cheese substitute, and/or wherein said fat content comprises 70 wt.%, preferably 80 wt.% or more and most preferably 90 wt.% or more of plant oil or fat.
  12. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, which has a dry matter content of 45% or more and/or which has been aged for 3 months or more.
  13. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, which is a vegan cheese or a vegan substitute for a dairy cheese, wherein said cheese or cheese substitute is preferably a hard cheese or a semi-hard cheese or cheese substitute.
  14. The cheese or cheese substitute of any one of the preceding claims, which is a product of fermentation by one or more selected from: lactic acid bacteria, yeast and/or molds, and/or which contains detectable DNA of said one or more selected from lactic acid bacteria, yeast and/or molds.
  15. A method for producing a cheese or cheese substitute comprising a proteinogenic content of which 50 wt.% or more is provided by lupine protein, the method comprising: - providing a liquid comprising an aqueous extract of lupine seeds, wherein 10 wt.% or more of the dry matter of said liquid are provided by said proteinogenic content, and wherein said liquid further comprises plant fat; - obtaining a coagulate of said liquid and fermenting said coagulate by exposing the coagulate to one or more fermenting microorganisms and/or enzymes, wherein said microorganisms are selected from lactic acid bacteria, yeast and/or molds; - forming bodies of said cheese or substitute cheese from said coagulate; - aging said bodies, including repeatedly and/or continuously exposing at least part of an outer surface of said bodies to live microorganisms and storing said bodies in conditions suitable to prevent drying out of said bodies, thereby obtaining said cheese or cheese substitute.
  16. The method of claim 15, which comprises pasteurizing and/or sterilizing the liquid to reduce the microbial load by at least 3 log, preferably at least 4 log and most preferably at least 5 log, before exposing said coagulate so said one or more fermenting microorganisms.
  17. The method of any one of claims 15-16, which comprises exposing said coagulate to two or more different microorganisms comprising one or more lactic acid bacterium and one or more yeast.
  18. The method of any one of claims 15-17, wherein said proteinogenic content comprises 60 wt.% or more, preferably 70 wt.% or more, more preferably 80 wt.% or more and most preferably 90 wt. % or more of proteinogenic content originating from lupine protein.
  19. The method of any one of claims 15-18, comprising homogenizing the liquid to obtain a homogenized liquid, wherein said coagulate is obtained from said homogenized and preferably heat treated liquid.
  20. The method of any one of claims 15-19, comprising adding said plant fat to said aqueous extract in order to obtain said liquid.

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to cheeses comprising proteins of plant origin, including vegan cheeses and substitute cheeses. The invention also relates to a method for producing the cheeses and/or cheese substitutes, and to the use of lupine in the preparation of cheeses and/or cheese substitutes. Background Art and Problems Solved by the Invention Plant-based substitutes to dairy products have become popular within the last decade, for reasons related to different topics such as consumer's choice, health in general (allergy to milk proteins, lactose intolerance, requirement to reduce cholesterol etc), ecological and ethical considerations in general (CO2 emissions, the desire to enable sustainable and ethical agriculture), as well as the growing importance of organic practices and animal welfare, for example. When it comes to plant-based substitutes for cheeses, several challenges become apparent. A first challenge relates to the nutritional value of the plant-based cheese substitute. Cow's and other dairy milk is known to have a rich nutritional profile, encompassing, in particular, a substantial amount of proteins. However, it is important to address the unhealthy fat composition of dairy cheese, which may be high in saturated fats, linked to health risks. It is an objective of the invention to provide a plant-based cheese substitute that provides an amount of proteins and fat that is equivalent and/or close to the amount of these macronutrients in cheese obtained from dairy, obtained from cows, sheep, or other livestock mammals typically used for obtaining dairy. Furthermore, the cheese or cheese substitute of the invention preferably comprises the complete spectrum of amino acids, preferably in a form that can be absorbed by the human digestive tract. Besides the spectrum of amino acids (free or peptide-bound), the presence of other nutritional components, such as a balanced ratio of essential and unsaturated fats, for example, is also relevant. Another challenge concerns the organoleptic properties, such as taste, texture and mouthfeel. It is an objective of the invention to provide a plant-based cheese substitute (or more generally, a cheese comprising a substantial amount of plant proteins) that provides organoleptic properties as known by the consumer from classical, dairy milk-based cheeses. In this regard, it is desirous to provide a manufacturing method that removes off-tastes and anti-nutritional components present in many plants used for producing dairy substitutes, in particular in seeds or beans of the Leguminosae (legume) family. It is highlighted here that the nutritional profile and the organoleptically properties are linked to some extent. The present inventors surmise that the generally pleasant and appreciated taste of dairy cheese is at least in part obliged to nutritional components, such as proteins, fats and sugars, that are present in milk that is subjected to fermentation to obtain a cheese, and to the fermentation products thereof. Hence, the present inventors are desirous to provide a plant-based cheese or cheese substitute that contains volatiles and other organoleptically relevant compounds that are present in dairy cheese. In the publication of Wechsler et al, "Characterisierung von Walliser Raclette GUB", Agroscope Science no. 115/2021, it is explained that, in the case of the Swiss raw milk cheese "Walliser Raclette GUB", free amino acids are the result of the proteolytic activity of the lactic acid bacteria and enzymes from other sources that participate in the fermentation, and that the free amino acids provide taste and taste-enhancing properties and thereby contribute in an important manner to the sensorial perception of the cheese. It is thus an objective of the invention to provide a plant-based cheese that matches or strongly resembles the taste of a mammal-milk-based cheese, in particular also by providing a fermentation that is suitable to provide components relevant for taste, including free amino acids. Mikulec et al, "Flavour formation in cheese", Mlekarstvo 60(4), 2019-227 (2010) also discuss the role free amino acids may have in the development of flavor in dairy cheese. In this regard, the article cited above specifies that much if not all the peptidase activity takes place after the initial fermentation, during the maturing (also called aging) of the cheese. In other words, an important part of the taste develops during aging. It is an objective of the invention to provide a cheese or cheese substitute that has been aged, and which has a flavor thanks to aging, similar to dairy based, aged cheeses. A further objective underlying the present invention is related to the infrastructure and/or process characteristics related to the production of a plant-based cheese substitute. A first objective is to produce the cheese substitute under mild conditions, in a manner that is as natural as possible to reduce the environmental impact of the manufac