PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2022
Legumes lead the way in
dairy-free cheese innovation
Sustainable, clean label and nutritionally
sound, chickpea and yellow pea are driving
the plant-based cheese revolution
It may still be in its infancy, but the growing market
for plant-based milk and cheese alternatives is already
showing huge potential. And that’s good news
for manufacturers who are continually seeking ways to
satisfy the demands of an increasing number of consumers
who have decided to ditch dairy.
Many already lead a vegan lifestyle but for others, it’s
more a case of reducing animal-derived products for
health or ethical reasons. However, the one thing they
all have in common in their search for plant-based dairy
alternatives is an unwillingness to compromise on texture
or taste.
Up until now, the market for plant-based cheese has
struggled to keep pace with rapid developments in the
manufacture of pure milk or yogurt alternatives, for example.
Why? Largely because cheese requires much
more complex manufacturing steps that are not so easily
transferable to plant-based raw materials. In addition,
not all cheeses are the same: The production of
fresh or processed cheese is fundamentally different to
that of a fermented and ripened product – and plant
proteins do not react in the same way as milk proteins.
Here, pioneering technological work is required.
Special expertise
Most plant-based cheese analogs currently available
on the European market consist of water, coconut oil,
starch, stabilizers, salt, vitamins, flavorings and colorings.
Assuming that consumers turn to cheese alternatives
in a bid to eat more healthily and sustainably, the
problem is obvious: a recipe based on oil and starch is
a nutritional leap from the frying pan and into the fire.
Nut-based alternatives, meanwhile, are significantly
more expensive and also contain allergens.
28 · September/October 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
So raw material composition plays an important role in
cheese production, particularly since the amount of casein
is key. Plant proteins differ from these milk proteins
in structure and functionality; they have larger molecular
sizes and more complex quaternary structures. As
a result, they cannot form compact gel networks. Thus,
the selection of proteins and their dosage requires special
expertise in the development of plant-based alternatives.
Significantly superior
Together with manufacturers of enzyme preparations
and leading dairy research institutes, Müller's Mühle is
currently working on the development of various vegan
dairy products based on legumes, including cheese
alternatives. Christian Bärenwalde, Business Developer
at Müller's Mühle, says: “For a number of reasons,
legumes and/or legume concentrates are suitable as
a basis for vegetable cheese variants. They contain
legumin, a protein that is similar in structure to animal
casein and therefore has comparable properties. This is
a prerequisite for creating substitute products that are
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