PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2022
Powering up
plant-based cheese?
It’s got to feel authentic
The plant-based revolution is now in full swing
– not least in the cheese category. The plantbased
cheese segment is now growing by around
9% each year 1 – with an astonishing 388 plant-based
cheeses launched in 2021 alone.2
To some extent, we don’t need market data and statistics
to tell us this. The evidence is right there on today’s
supermarket shelves (which look very different compared
to say, five years ago). But how many of the many
new product launches we’re now seeing are likely to be
successful in the long run? Or to put it another way, what
can brands do to capitalize on this momentum and ensure
that their plant-based cheese is the one preferred
and purchased by discerning consumers?
This is question that we’ve been asking ourselves at
DSM for some time now. The answer is not too surprising.
Consumers want products that more accurately
mimic their traditional dairy choices and experiences.
After all, there’s a reason why dairy cheese is so enduringly
popular. It looks, smells and tastes delicious – and
even includes health benefits like calcium and vitamins
The next question – and traditionally far harder for the
industry to answer – is how to achieve this. How can
plant-based cheese manufacturers change their formulations
in a way that meets both their needs and
those of consumers? Now, we have the answer – in the
form of the new DSM plant-based cheese portfolio.
Building on tradition
Our portfolio for this fast-growing segment doesn’t just
combine ingredients, solutions and expertise. It also
draws on a 100-plus year dairy heritage to bring the
experience of traditional dairy cheese to plant-based
cheese – in taste, texture, nutrition and appearance:
34 · September/October 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
starting with taste. How do we replicate the wonderfully
complex, distinctive flavors of traditional cheese in
a plant-based equivalent?
Passing the taste test
Our experts understand the complex flavor palette of
traditional cheese – and how this provides specific, signature
taste. Now, they are using all this knowledge to
do the same thing for plant-based cheese.
Specifically, we build taste complexity through a series
of four steps – starting with masking agents that nullify
off-notes from raw materials that can overpower traditional
cheese flavors. Next, we add yeast extracts to
build the basic savory foundation, followed by process
flavors to impart typical lactic tones for a unique dairy
taste profile. Finally, we use specific plant-based cheese
top notes to round-out the robust, complex and dairylike
flavor that the customer desires.
Maximizing mouthfeel
Of course, plant-based cheese needs to feel like real
cheese: whether its chewy and soft like mozzarella and
young gouda, or hard and brittle like parmesan. Furthermore,
it needs to perform like real cheese when
manufactured and used by the consumer. How easy is it
to slice, melt and shred?
This is another area where our portfolio comes into play
for plant-based manufacturers, where our experts use
ingredients like gellan gums, hydrocolloids and pectins
to help create an authentic texture and mouthfeel. Take
gellan gum, for example. Its functional properties are
ideal for improving plant-based cheese texture thanks
to a patented technology that combines with the application's
starches and proteins – improving not only texture
and bite but also the slicing and shredding qualities.
/international-dairy.com
