US-20260123643-A1 - PLANT-BASED CHEESE OF THE HALF-HARD TYPE

Abstract

The invention provides a plant-based cheese of the half-hard type comprising from 5 to 35 wt. % of a vegetable fat, from 20 to 40 wt. % (modified) starches; from 1 to 7 wt. % (phospholipid) w/o emulsifier, the remainder (up to 100 wt. %) being water, wherein the wt. % are calculated on the total composition, and a method for its preparation.

Inventors

• Jochen Effey

Assignees

• FLORA FOOD GLOBAL PRINCIPAL B.V.

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20231005

Priority Date

20221007

Claims (17)

1. 1 . A plant-based cheese of the half-hard type, comprising 5-35 wt. % of a vegetable fat; 1-45 wt. % starches and/or modified starches; 1-7 wt. % of a lecithin selected from the group consisting of soy lecithin, sunflower lecithin, cottonseed lecithin, rape seed lecithin, and any combination thereof; the remainder up to 100 wt. % being water, wherein the wt. % are calculated on the total composition.
2. 2 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the vegetable fat is coconut fat.
3. 3 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of lecithin is between 2 wt. % and 6 wt. %.
4. 4 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the starches are selected from the group consisting of modified and unmodified starches.
5. 5 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the starches are selected from the group consisting of wheat starch, corn starch, potato starch, rice starch, tapioca starch, and any combination thereof.
6. 6 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , further comprising a plant protein, plant protein isolate or plant protein concentrate present in an amount from 0.1 to 20 wt. %.
7. 7 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the plant protein in the plant protein, plant protein isolate or plant protein concentrate is selected from the group consisting of lentil protein, fava ( Vicia faba ) protein, pea protein, or combinations thereof.
8. 8 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the vegetable fat is a non-hydrogenated fat and/or does not contain palm-oil of palm-oil derived fats or fractions thereof.
9. 9 . A method of preparing a plant-based cheese analogue composition comprising the steps of: mixing starches, optional proteins, a lecithin selected from the group consisting of soy lecithin, sunflower lecithin, cottonseed lecithin, rape seed lecithin, and combinations thereof, fat and water; providing a homogenous mixture from the mixed ingredients by mixing under shear to form an emulsion; and providing a plant-based cheese analogue.
10. 10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein in the mixing step, the dry ingredients are suspended or dissolved in water followed by the addition of fat.
11. 11 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the addition of fat is under shear until a homogenous mixture is obtained.
12. 12 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein in the mixing step, a pre-mix is made from the dry ingredients, followed by the addition of fat and water.
13. 13 . The method according to claim 9 , comprising forming the plant-based cheese.
14. 14 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the lecithin is a fractioned lecithin.
15. 15 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of lecithin is between 3 wt. % and 4.5 wt. %.
16. 16 . The plant-based cheese according to claim 1 , wherein the starches are modified starches.
17. 17 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the lecithin is a fractioned lecithin.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a plant-based cheese of the half hard type and a method for its preparation. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Cheese is a much admired asset to many tables and taste. Conventional cheese is made from dairy. With the enhanced interest in vegetarian and plant-based (or plant-based) products, and more in general plant-based products, a plant-based alternative that can pair the mouthfeel, texture and taste of a classic cheese of the half-hard type such as a Gouda, Edam, or Emmentaler cheese is considered highly desirable. Examples of plant-based cheeses of the half-hard type are described in US20220287320, EP4066648 and US20190000103. Traditional cheese production has always been carried out using the animal milk as a basic ingredient. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in demand for cheese generally, as well as for cheeses with specific performance or nutritional characteristics. This general demand is driven in part by the steady growth in the ready meal or convenience food sector of the food industry since cheese is an ingredient in many foods within this sector. The increasing popularity of various pizza-type products is one specific example of cheese-containing products in this sector that have contributed to the surge in demand. These concerns, as well as cost considerations, have been the impetus for the development of a number of analogue cheeses (e.g., imitation cheeses or cheese substitutes) that offer various health advantages (e.g., replacement of animal fat with healthier vegetable oil and increased vitamin or mineral levels) and cost benefits (e.g., vegetable oils are less expensive than certain dairy ingredients). Analogue cheeses constitute a major category of cheese. As alluded to above, there has been an increased demand for analogue cheese because of cost and health considerations. Analogue cheese generally refers to a cheese in which milk fat and/or a protein source has been substituted with a source that is not native to milk. Analogue cheeses are typically lower cost than other cheese types because the processing can be performed less expensively and because certain milk ingredients can be substituted with cost effective food ingredients (e.g., substituting vegetable oil for milk fat). The health benefits derive from substitution of the milk fat and protein with other healthier substitutes and the ability to add other ingredients that can improve the nutritional characteristics of the final product. Analogue cheeses (or substitute cheeses) are typically categorized as dairy, partial dairy, or non-dairy, depending on whether the fat and/or dairy components are from dairy or vegetable sources. They can also be classified as being an imitation cheese or a substitute cheese. Imitation cheese is a substitute for and resembles another cheese but is nutritionally inferior to that cheese. A cheese substitute, on the other hand, resembles another cheese but is not nutritionally inferior to that cheese. However, replacing conventional cheese composition ingredients can present technical hurdles because cheese compositions are complex and their properties can be sensitive to modified or inherent functional characteristics associated with micro and macro structures of these ingredients. Thus, conventional cheese manufacturing has come to rely on certain cheese composition ingredients to provide certain properties. Exemplary technical challenges include finding substitute ingredients that provide cheese compositions with one or more suitable functional properties (e.g., melt, stretch, and firmness), organoleptic properties (e.g., texture and flavor), and when necessary, nutritional properties. Conventional manufacturers include three key components in cheese analogues, namely a dry ingredient blend, water, and fats. Dry ingredient blends may contain combinations of ingredients such as starches, stabilizers, dairy and non-dairy proteins, emulsifying salts, emulsifiers, pH adjusters, fibers, colorants, and flavors. In first generation cheese analogues, inclusion of dairy proteins was crucial in achieving the desirable melt and stretch of similar to that of natural cheese products. In recent years, the spread of greater ecological awareness combined with the increasingly widespread feeling of empathy towards animal sufferings, as well as the search for a healthier diet, therefore without animal fats, has seen to reach on the market and to obtain the satisfaction of consumers of different vegetable, vegetarian or plant-based alternatives to the classic cheese. These alternatives, however, are often characterized by a different structure, which may give them a different appearance, and by the lack of organoleptic qualities, to the point of not making them in any way comparable to traditional cheeses either in taste, color or in texture i.e. in structure, or in appearance. The few existing proposals concerning to the imitation of hard and aged ch