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EP-4739141-A1 - METHOD FOR OBTAINING A DAIRY ALTERNATIVE FOOD PRODUCT WITH IMPROVED FOAMING

EP4739141A1EP 4739141 A1EP4739141 A1EP 4739141A1EP-4739141-A1

Abstract

Provided herein is the use of an endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys and a protein deamidase for obtaining a dairy alternative food product with improved foaming properties.

Inventors

  • HENDRIKSEN, HANNE VANG
  • LONG, ZHEN

Assignees

  • Novozymes A/S

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240703

Claims (15)

  1. Method for obtaining a dairy alternative food product, the method comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a slurry of a plant material in water; and (b) treating the slurry of step (a) with an endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys and a protein deamidase to obtain the dairy alternative food product, wherein the endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys is a trypsin-like or lysine-specific endopeptidase.
  2. Method of claim 1, further comprising treating the slurry of step (a) with one or more hydrolyzing enzymes selected from the group of pectinases, hemicellulases, xylanases, beta-glucanases, mannanases, glucanases, glucoamylases, iso-amylases, alpha-amylases, beta-amylases, and mixtures thereof.
  3. Method of claim 2, wherein the hydrolyzing enzyme is alpha-amylase, beta-glucanase, glucoamylase or any combination thereof.
  4. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the treatment of step (b) is carried out at a temperature in the range of 20-60℃, such as in the range of 50-60℃.
  5. Method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising the addition of a lipid during step (a) or (b) or after step (b) to obtain a slurry or a dairy alternative food product having a lipid content of 1-5% (w/w) based on the weight of the slurry or dairy alternative food product, optionally wherein the lipid is an oil, preferably a plant oil.
  6. Method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising the steps of: (c) separating the dairy alternative food product into solid and liquid streams; (d) harvesting the liquid stream as a liquid dairy alternative food product; and (e) optionally inactivating the enzymes.
  7. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the plant material has a protein content of 5-20% (w/w) , such as 10-15% (w/w) .
  8. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the plant material is derived from almond, soy, cashew, macadamia, coconut, pea, bean, rice, quinoa, flax, hemp or oat.
  9. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the dairy alternative food product is an almond drink, a soy drink, a cashew drink, a macadamia drink, a coconut drink, a pea drink, a bean drink, a rice drink, a quinoa drink, a flax drink, a hemp drink or an oat drink.
  10. Method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the dairy alternative food product is for use in coffee.
  11. Method of any of preceding claims, wherein the endopeptidase is a trypsin-like endopeptidase derived from a strain of Fusarium, more preferably from Fusarium oxysporum, or a lysine-specific endopeptidase derived from a strain of Achromobacter, more preferably from Achromobacter lyticus.
  12. Method for obtaining an oat-based dairy alternative food product, the method comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a slurry of an oat material in water; and (b) treating the slurry of step (a) with an endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys and a protein deamidase to obtain the oat-based dairy alternative food product, wherein the endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys is a trypsin-like or lysine-specific endopeptidase.
  13. Use of an endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys and a protein deamidase in the production of a dairy alternative food product to improve foaming properties, wherein the endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys is a trypsin-like or lysine-specific endopeptidase.
  14. Use according to claim 13, wherein the dairy alternative food product is an oat beverage, such as an oat beverage for coffee.
  15. Dairy alternative food product comprising a mixture of polypeptide fragments each having primarily either an arginine residue or a lysine residue at the carboxyl terminus, and further comprising enzymatically deamidated plant material.

Description

METHOD FOR OBTAINING A DAIRY ALTERNATIVE FOOD PRODUCT WITH IMPROVED FOAMING 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 use of a specific endopeptidase and a protein deamidase for obtaining a dairy alternative food product with improved organoleptic properties, in particular improved foaming properties. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The number of people pursuing a vegan, vegetarian, or non-dairy diet for health reasons has increased in recent years. Further, food products made from animals’ milk, such as cows’ milk, are increasingly recognized for their high environmental costs. These factors are leading to a greater demand for dairy alternative food products for foods traditionally derived from milk, including milk, cheese, and yogurt. Some examples of a dairy alternative food product which have received great attention in recent years are food products based on almond, oat, pea and soy. The rising popularity of these plant substrates can be partly attributed to their numerous health benefits, low allergenicity properties, and the growing interest in sustainable and ethical food choices. For example oats and almonds are perceived as healthy for a number of reasons: They are a great source of important vitamins, minerals, fibres (β-glucans) , antioxidants, as well as essential amino acids. Health benefits which have been associated with intake of oats and almonds include weight loss, lower blood cholesterol levels and reduced risk of heart disease. Also peas and soy are attractive options for health-conscious consumers. Peas, for example, present a lower risk of causing allergic reactions compared to traditional dairy products, which is a significant advantage for individuals with lactose intolerance or specific food allergies. Dairy alternative food products may be derived from plant material with high starch content. In general, to convert the high-starch plant material into a dairy alternative food product, the starch must be hydrolyzed. The conversion of the starch typically includes a gelatinization step in which starch granules are dissolved to form a viscous suspension, a liquefaction step in which the starch is partially hydrolyzed with a concomitant loss in viscosity, and optionally a saccharification step which involves the production of glucose and maltose by further hydrolysis. The use of enzymes to improve conversion of plant material, such as high-starch plant material, into plant-based dairy alternative food products remains a topic of interest in the industry  and includes finding improved methods for obtaining plant-based dairy alternative food products with organoleptic properties matching those of conventional dairy products, such as cow’s milk. WO 2014/123466 A1 discloses enzymatic modification of oat material using amylases and protein deamidation. WO 2008/131008 A2 and WO 2009/155557 A2 disclose modification of soy protein using proteases. US 2022/0046939A1 discloses processes for producing plant based milk substitutes, such as oat milks or oat creamers, comprising use of endoproteases and divalent cationic salts. It is an object of the present invention to identify improved methods for producing plant-based dairy alternative food products with improved organoleptic properties, such as, e.g., improved foaming properties. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventors have found that by treating a slurry of a plant material in water with a combination of enzymes, including an endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys and a protein deamidase, more protein is solubilized, i.e. total protein as well as soluble protein is increased in the final product, and an improved plant-based dairy alternative food product with superior foaming properties is obtained. The improvement in foaming properties is seen, e.g., in the resulting foam having better stability, a higher density of micro-foam, higher volume, higher coherency, and/or a smoother texture compared to a foam produced from a plant-based dairy alternative food product that has not been treated with an endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys and a protein deamidase. The invention therefore provides a method for obtaining a dairy alternative food product, the method comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a slurry of a plant material in water; and (b) treating the slurry of step (a) with an endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys and a protein deamidase to obtain the dairy alternative food product. The invention also provides the use of an endopeptidase having a specificity for cleaving after Arg and/or Lys and a protein deamidase in the production of a dairy alternative food product to improve foaming properties. By using a combination of an endopeptidase having a specificity