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Researchers Study Protein-Fat Interactions to Enhance Plant-Based Cheese Texture and Functionality

Plant-Based Cheese Texture and Functionality
Scientists at the University of Guelph in Ontario and Canadian Light Source Inc. in Saskatchewan have conducted a study examining how plant-based proteins interact with fat matrices in cheese analogs.

Published in Physics of Fluids by AIP Publishing, the research explores strategies to improve the texture, functionality, and nutritional profile of plant-based cheese alternatives

Researchers studied isolates from three plant-based proteins—pea protein, faba bean protein, and lentil protein—to understand their functionality when combined with different fat blends in cheese analogs. The physical properties of the cheese alternatives were analyzed, including melting, stretching, oil loss, and hardness.

One key finding from the study is that a blend of 25% coconut oil and 75% sunflower oil paired with a particular pea protein isolate produced the firmest texture. This formulation achieved comparable or superior functionality, such as meltability and stretchability, compared to analogs made with 100% coconut oil.

Cheese made with the pea protein isolate and 25% coconut oil demonstrated a hardness value of 80 N, closely matching the performance of cheese made with 100% coconut oil, which had a hardness value of 100 N. The researchers attributed this result to the unique interactions between the protein and fat in the formulation.

“The behavior of milk proteins and meat proteins is reasonably well understood, but knowledge about the functionality of plant proteins is lacking. There is also a huge variety of different plant proteins, each one very different from another.” explained lead researcher Alejandro Marangoni.

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