EP-4739123-A1 - METHODS FOR OBTAINING PLANT-BASED READY-TO-DRINK COFFEE OR TEA BEVERAGES

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of protein deamidase in obtaining plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverages with improved stability, in particular improved storage stability.

Inventors

• LONG, ZHEN
• WANG, YUCHEN
• HENDRIKSEN, HANNE, VANG

Assignees

• Novozymes A/S

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240702

Claims (17)

1. 1. Method of obtaining a plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an aqueous solution comprising enzymatically deamidated plant material; (b) mixing the aqueous solution of step (a) with a coffee or tea beverage to obtain the plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage; and (c) storing the plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage for at least 4 hours, preferably at least 8 hours, more preferably at least 12 hours, before consumption.
2. 2. Method of claim 1, wherein the aqueous solution of step (a) and the coffee or tea beverage have a temperature in the range of 3-30°C prior to and/or during the mixing in step (b).
3. 3. Method of any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the aqueous solution of step (a) has a protein content in the range of 0.3 to 5% (w/w), such as 1 to 3% (w/w).
4. 4. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous solution of step (a) has a lipid content in the range of 0.5 to 4% (w/w), such as 1 to 2% (w/w).
5. 5. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous solution of step (a) is a plantbased dairy alternative drink.
6. 6. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous solution comprising enzymatically deamidated plant material and/or the plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage is substantially free from added emulsifiers and/or stabilizers.
7. 7. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage is a canned or packaged beverage.
8. 8. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage is meant for storage at a temperature of 3-30°C.
9. 9. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage further comprises one or more additional food ingredients selected from the group of lipids, sugars, proteins, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, flavoring agents, dietary fibres, salts and any combination thereof.
10. 10. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the plant material is derived from oat, pea or soy, preferably from pea or soy.
11. 11. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio of aqueous solution to coffee or tea beverage is from 1 :10 to 10:1 based on w/w.
12. 12. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous solution comprising enzymatically deamidated plant material is obtained using a method comprising the steps of i. obtaining a slurry of a plant material in water; ii. treating the slurry of step (i) with a protein deamidase to obtain an aqueous solution comprising deamidated plant material in water; and iii. optionally inactivating the protein deamidase.
13. 13. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage is heat treated, optionally wherein the heat treatment is an Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) treatment, an Extended Shelf Life (ESL) treatment or a pasteurization.
14. 14. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous solution comprising enzymatically deamidated plant material and/or the plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage is substantially free from added buffering salts, preferably substantially free from added phosphate salts.
15. 15. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous solution comprising enzymatically deamidated plant material is obtained using a protein deamidase derived from or obtained from a Chryseobacterium species.
16. 16. Plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage obtainable by the method of any of claims 1-15.
17. 17. Use of a protein deamidase in the production of a plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverage to improve stability, preferably to improve storage stability.

Description

METHODS FOR OBTAINING PLANT-BASED REA DY-TO- DRINK COFFEE OR TEA BEVERAGES Reference to sequence listing This application contains a Sequence Listing in computer readable form. The computer readable form is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the use of protein deamidase in methods for obtaining plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverages with improved stability, in particular improved storage stability. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The number of people pursuing vegan, vegetarian or non-dairy diets for health and reasons has increased in recent years. Further, food products made from animals’ milk, particularly cows, are increasingly recognized for their high environmental costs. These factors are leading to a greater demand for dairy alternative plant-based food products for foods traditionally derived from milk, including milk, creamer, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Ready-to-drink (RTD) acidic beverages, such as, e.g., sports drinks, RTD coffee beverages and RTD tea beverages, are sold worldwide as prepackaged, on-the-go beverages ready for consumption. RTD acidic beverages may be stored and consumed at room temperatures and cold. Some of the more common commercially available RTD beverages include, but are not limited to, iced coffees, coffee lattes, cold brew coffees and iced milk teas. While many of the RTD beverages sold today are based on animal milk, a few RTD beverages based on dairy alternative beverages have recently been introduced to the market, including, for example, the coconut milk based iced coffee sold by ALOHA. Dairy alternative plant-based beverages should meet the same requirements as the conventional dairy-based beverages in terms of storage stability without phase separation, creaming, gelation, taste and/or sedimentation and the like. In particular, the plant-based beverages must meet consumers’ expectations and demands concerning taste and texture, including smooth mouthfeel, creaminess and richness in taste. In this regard, a particular challenge, which remains to be sufficiently solved, is the poor solubility of plant proteins, off- flavors caused by them and tendency of the plant proteins to precipitate in acidic products, such as coffee or tea drinks. US 2022/0079187 A1 discloses non-dairy analogs, such as pea milk, containing deamidated refined protein component, which when mixed with a heated coffee beverage has reduced immediate feathering. The exemplified non-dairy analogs suitable for mixing with the heated coffee are all prepared with at least a gellan gum and phosphate salts. The disclosure does not relate to ready- to-d rink coffee or tea beverages and fails to demonstrate any improvement in long-term stability of the coffee and plant milk mixed beverages. US 2022/0151255 A1 discloses nut milks treated with protein deamidase to reduce the immediate aggregation occurring when mixing the nut milks with a weakly acidic to weakly alkaline liquid, such as a coffee. The exemplified nut milks are only tested for immediate aggregation in heated (90°C) coffee and the disclosure is silent in regard to any storage stability of the mixed coffee and nut milk, nor does it relate to ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverages. US 2022/0142210 A1 discloses protein solutions and methods of preparing such, comprising the use of a protein deamidating enzyme to treat a solution comprising a protein and a stabilizer. Long-term stability is only examined in relation to a pasteurized formulation comprising deamidated pea protein, pectin gum, gellan gum, and a juice concentrate. The disclosure is silent to the use of protein deamidase for improving stability, in particular storage stability, of plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverages. US 2023/0240312 A1 discloses protein deamidase-treated plant milks, such as oat milk or pea milk, which when added to heated coffee show improved dispersibility, measured by tendency to coagulation. The disclosure fails to mention the use of protein deamidase to obtain storage-stable ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverages. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to identify improved processes for obtaining plant-based ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverages with improved stability, in particular plantbased ready-to-drink coffee or tea beverages with improved storage stability. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventors have surprisingly found that by treating a plant material with a protein deamidase, a plant material is obtained which when mixed with an acidic beverage, in particular a coffee or tea drink, has improved dispersibility and reduced risk of flocculation, both at the time of mixing and during long-term storage. As a result, a shelf-stable, organoleptically satisfactory plant-based ready-to-drink acidic beverage comprising a blend of an enzymatically deamidated plant material and an acidic drink, can be obtained which can be stored under cool (refrigerated) conditions or at