PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2022
New Food Trends,
New Opportunities
Stephan processing solutions for vegan analog cheese
Author:
Dirk Hennig Schönfelder, Food Technologist
at Stephan Machinery/ProXES GmbH
As part of a healthy, sustainable lifestyle, the
consumption of vegan cheese substitutes is
becoming increasingly important. Motivated
by social trends, climate protection and health
reasons, vegan cheese alternatives are in demand
more than ever. In a dynamic market, ProXES with
its Stephan processing solutions provides you with
the knowledge and machinery to benefit from the
latest food trends in the production of vegan analog
cheese products.
As Versatile as Analog Cheese Itself:
Vegan Raw Materials
A wide range of raw materials exists to produce vegan
cheese analogs, which differ in type and purpose:
For example, a high starch content or other thickeners
of up to 30% w/w build texture that mimics ordinary
cheese - fresh or processed. Milk fat is replaced by coconut
fat, palm fat and increasingly by other vegetable
oils to give the analog cheese the same organoleptic
and melting properties as a classic milk fat-based
cheese. The aromas that would otherwise develop, for
26 · January/February 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
example, a result of fermentation and ripening, are
compensated by the addition of appropriate flavorings.
Colorants are used to give the vegan cheese an
appealing appearance. In addition, it can be assumed
that more and more vegetable proteins will be used in
the future to more closely match the nutritional profile
of classic cheese. This will bring new challenges,
whether sensory or process-related.
Important Aspects in the
Manufacturing Process
Currently, such analogs are primarily produced in
batch processes. The manufacturing processes must
take the following aspects into account: First, the raw
materials mentioned must be homogeneously combined.
In addition, fat and water must form a stable
emulsion. The effect of heat melts the fat, which can
only then be emulsified. Furthermore, starches and
other hydrocolloids are activated and thus lead to an
increase in viscosity, to achieve the desired texture of
the product. At the same time, of course, the product
is pasteurized and thus preserved.
/international-dairy.com
