FOOD INGREDIENT BASED ON TERRESTRIAL VEGETABLE FIBERS AND MARINE ALGAL FIBERS, AND DAIRY PRODUCT COMPRISING SUCH AN INGREDIENT

Abstract

The present invention relates to a food ingredient consisting of terrestrial plant fibers and marine algal fibers in the form of powders. as well as a dairy product incorporating such an ingredient. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such a dairy product in the particular case of a cheese or a cheese preparation.

Description

Title of the invention: FOOD INGREDIENT BASED ON TERRESTRIAL VEGETABLE FIBERS AND MARINE ALGAL FIBERS, AND DAIRY PRODUCT COMPRISING SUCH AN INGREDIENT Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a food ingredient consisting of terrestrial plant fibers and marine algal fibers in powder form, as well as a dairy product incorporating such an ingredient. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such a dairy product in the particular case of a cheese or a cheese preparation. Technical background

[0002] Originally, cheese technology was born from the need to preserve milk, a perishable foodstuff. Thus, it allowed the "noble" components of milk (namely proteins and fats) to be stored over time in a reduced volume, but for the sole use of the operators who practiced it111.

[0003] Subsequently, it became a full-fledged economic activity by generating added value to milk. Today, in order to better meet the various expectations of consumers (food safety, organoleptic regularity, etc.) and economic requirements (yield, cost price, productivity and profitability), operators in the dairy industry must manage and optimize each of the unit operations implemented during the transformation of milk into cheese. Indeed, many phenomena take place during the transition from liquid milk to "solid cheese" and there are many different technologies, from the preparation of milk to ripening, which make it possible to obtain a large number of cheeses with very distinct biochemical and organoleptic characteristics from which they are classified into large families111.

[0004] To this end, operators in the dairy industry have had to, in particular to meet growing consumer demand, increase the use of a certain number of chemical additives111.

[0005] But at present, it is necessary to reduce, or even eliminate the use of these chemical additives, in order to meet the demand and the development of the market for natural alternative solutions in the field of the agri-food industry111.

[0006] To meet this need, the applicant has developed an alternative food ingredient based solely on terrestrial and algal plant fibres and intended for dairy products (i.e. milk or any product resulting from the processing of milk as well as their derivatives or by-products, as defined below) which can meet the requirements of the specifications of traditional products, while reducing or even eliminating the use of different categories of chemical additives, and while retaining or even improving the qualities of traditional products from the cheese industry111.

[0007] Food substitutes or ingredients based on plant fibers are known to those skilled in the art. Thus, European patent application EP2403352 describes a composition comprising a plant protein from the family of cereals, oilseeds, tubers, legumes, algae and microalgae, and a plant fiber, in particular a water-soluble fiber from oilseed plants (soybean, rapeseed and peas) and protein plants and / or an insoluble fiber chosen from resistant starches, cereal fibers, fruit or vegetable fibers, legume fibers and mixtures thereof (bamboo fibers, peas and carrots). The plant fiber is in dry but non-powdery (granular) form. The composition described in EP2403352 can be used as a total or partial replacement for milk proteins in specialties made from milk, and in particular cheese specialties.However, this composition includes a plant protein that can be derived from algae or microalgae, but does not include marine algal fibers associated with plant fibers. Summary of the invention

[0008] The present invention makes it possible to solve the problems raised by the prior art.

[0009] For this purpose, the present invention relates to a food ingredient consisting of terrestrial plant fibers and marine algal fibers in the form of powders.

[0010] As commonly accepted, a food ingredient, which is involved in a food formulation, is a component or constituent of any combination or mixture which forms a commercial food. A cooking ingredient is a substance which is added to a food to obtain a desired effect12 J.

[0011] For the purposes of the present invention, the term “food ingredient” is understood more particularly to mean a composition of food substances combining fibers of terrestrial plant origin and fibers of marine algal origin.

[0012] As for terrestrial plant fibers, the majority of them are partially soluble, like a large part of the fibers found in vegetables, pulses or cereals. Some fibers are soluble in water and viscous; This is the case of beta-glucans contained in oats or rye, or fruit pectins and "gums", such as guar gum, used in particular as a thickener or gelling agent. Other fibers are insoluble or partially soluble (cellulose and hemicelluloses) as in wheat bran.

[0013] Pectins are complex heterogeneous polysaccharides found in the primary cell wall of most plants. They are mainly extracted from fruits and vegetables derived from by-products of the agri-food industry, such as citrus peel, apple pomace and sugar beet pulp. They are mainly composed of esterified or non-esterified D-galacturonic acid units, linked together by α-(l->4) bonds. Their proportion of units varies with the presence of different neutral sugars such as D-galactose, L-arabinose, L-rhamnose and D-xylose.

[0014] Regarding marine algal fibers, their structural chemistry differs from that found in terrestrial plants. This gives them functional and bioactive properties not found in terrestrial fiber sources. The nutrient-rich nature of algae makes them excellent candidates for functional food use. In addition, their physical ability to emulsify and retain water enhances their techno-functional properties as a food ingredient.

[0015] The total polysaccharide or sugar content of algae is typically between 4% and 76% (dry mass). The nature of algal polysaccharides differs between phyla.

[0016] Alginates, fucoidans and laminarin are the main polysaccharides of brown algae.

[0017] Carrageenans and agarans are found in red algae.

[0018] Ulvans in green algae. The vast majority of these algal polysaccharides are soluble and mostly anionic or polyanionic. This anionic structure gives these polysaccharides many particular physicochemical properties

[0019] Alginates are polysaccharides present in the wall of brown algae produced at a scale of 30,000 tonnes per year worldwide. Their valorization, unprecedented in the field of surfactants, presents several advantages from the point of view of environmental impact since their production does not require agricultural land, nor fresh water or fertilizers and phytosanitary products. These polysaccharides are formed of glycosidic bridges (l->4) between the two monomers [3-D-mannuronate (M) and its epimer in C5, α-L-guluronate (G). These M and G units are arranged in an irregular manner by homopolymeric blocks (MM or GG) separated by alternating blocks (MG) all along the alginate chain.

[0020] Carrageenans (or carrageenins) are sulfur-containing polysaccharides (sulfated galactans) extracted from red algae. Carrageenans are mainly extracted from Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum. Three main categories of carrageenans are commercialized today: K-carrageenan, l-carrageenan, X-carrageenan. Each of these categories has a distinct structure and properties. The main differences in molecular structure are the number and position of sulfate groups and the number of 3,6-anhydrogalactose (3,6-AG) bridges.

[0021] A certain number of these polymers (alginates, ulvans, and carrageenans in particular) have amphiphilic properties in the form of associative polymers which have the capacity to organize themselves in an aqueous medium following inter- and / or intramolecular hydrophobic interactions between the grafts which can thus form microdomains (aggregates, micelles, clusters, etc.) while maintaining their water solubility. This self-organization gives these systems rheological properties (viscosifying, even gelling), sequestration of amphiphilic or hydrophobic active ingredients, and control of exceptional interfaces which are much greater than their non-amphiphilic counterparts. Thanks to these properties which are added to the properties of biocompatibility and biodegradation, the use of amphiphilic polysaccharides in food applications becomes very interesting.

[0022] The food ingredient according to the invention, consisting of terrestrial plant fibers and marine algal fibers in the form of powders, therefore comprises mainly soluble and insoluble polysaccharides, a large part of which are anionic polysaccharides, which play an important role in the manufacturing process of a dairy product of the cheese type or cheese preparation incorporating these fibers.

[0023] Advantageously, the terrestrial plant fibers can be in the form of micronized powders and can be chosen from the group consisting of pea fibers, flax fibers, and carrot fibers.

[0024] Advantageously, the marine algal plant fibers may be in the form of micronized powders and may be chosen from the group consisting of brown algae, red algae and green algae, and preferably brown algae of the Fucaceae family.

[0025] For the purposes of the present invention, the term micronized powders means a powder having a particle size such that the diameter D50 is between 1 and 100 microns.

[0026] Preferably, the micronized powders of terrestrial plant fibers have a particle size such that the diameter D50 is between 40 and 50 microns.

[0027] Preferably, the micronized powders of marine algal plant fibers have a particle size such that the diameter D50 is between 40 and 50 microns.

[0028] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the food ingredient according to the invention may comprise: - 50% to 85% by weight of pea fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 5% to 25% by weight of flax fibers relative to the total weight of said composition ; - 2% to 20% by weight of carrot fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 2% to 15% by weight of algae fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient.

[0029] Preferably, the food ingredient according to the invention may comprise: - 60% to 80% by weight of pea fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 10% to 18% by weight of flax fibers relative to the total weight of said composition ; - 5% to 13% by weight of carrot fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 5% to 10% by weight of algae fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient.

[0030] More preferably, the food ingredient according to the invention may comprise: - 65% to 75% by weight of pea fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 12% to 16% by weight of flax fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 7% to 11% by weight of carrot fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 6% to 8% by weight of algae fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient.

[0031] The present invention also relates to a dairy product comprising a food ingredient according to the invention.

[0032] Preferably, the dairy product may be chosen from milk or any product resulting from the processing of milk as well as their derivatives or by-products.

[0033] For the purposes of the present invention, milk means not only unprocessed raw milk, but also reconstituted milk (for example milk with reduced fat content, or even skimmed milk, etc.).

[0034] By products resulting from the processing of milk or derivatives or by-products of milk, we mean in particular within the meaning of the present invention dairy drinks, cheeses and cheese preparations, yogurts, butter, whipped cream, ice creams.

[0035] Preferably, the dairy product may be a cheese or a cheese preparation.

[0036] For the purposes of the present invention, cheese or cheese preparation means any cheese product corresponding to the eponymous name in Information Note No. 2008-176 of the DGCCRF accompanying Decree No. 2007-628 relating to cheeses and cheese specialties131.

[0037] The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a dairy product according to the invention of the cheese type cheese preparation, characterized in that it comprises a prior step of introducing the food ingredient according to the invention into milk, to form an intermediate preparation of milk and fibers, said prior step of introducing the food premix composition into milk being carried out before the homogenization treatment of the milk.

[0038] It is the anionic polysaccharides present in the food ingredient according to the invention which play an important role in the process of manufacturing a dairy product of the cheese type or cheese preparation incorporating these fibres, because they allow:

[0039] - to promote and stabilize the emulsion phenomena of the fatty micelles of milk during the milk homogenization phase, and

[0040] - to increase the retention of free water in the structure of the curd and thus limit the phenomena of syneresis and in particular the release of an organic part of the whey during the draining phase with the consequence of contributing to the coagulation and retention of a part of the serum proteins and fat micelles within the curd matrix. This has the effect of increasing both the yield of the curdling process and also increasing the nutritional values ​​of the cheeses produced by this process, particularly with regard to the protein and fat content.

[0041] Preferably, the food ingredient according to the invention may represent between 0.025% and 0.050% by weight of the weight of the intermediate preparation obtained at the end of the prior step of introducing the food ingredient according to the invention into milk.

[0042] The food ingredient according to the invention therefore makes it possible, thanks to its original composition combining different plant fibers, composed essentially of polysaccharides, to be a product of the chemical additive substitute type capable of increasing the yield of cheese production from the same volume. of milk used, while improving the nutritional value of the cheeses thus prepared, while preserving or improving the structure and texture of the cheeses and reducing syneresis, also allowing better conservation of the cheese products in which it is incorporated.

[0043] This invention can therefore perfectly meet the requirements of manufacturers and consumers wishing to consume dairy foodstuffs and in particular cheeses or cheese preparations free from or low in chemical additives, while improving their organoleptic characteristics, their nutritional values, their preservability and reducing their overall production cost, thanks in particular to the improvement in production yield and therefore reducing their cost prices and possibly their sales prices. Brief description of the figures

[0044] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear during the reading of the detailed description which follows for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

[0045] [Fig-1] - [Fig.l] is a photograph showing the introduction into milk of the food ingredient in powder form according to the invention, before the homogenization phase (first step of the process according to the invention implemented in example 2);

[0046] [Fig.2] - [Fig.2] a photograph showing the formation of the curd from the mixture of milk and food ingredient illustrated in [Fig.l], which is recovered and placed in molds (second step of the process according to the invention implemented in Example 2)

[0047] [Fig.3] - [Fig.3] is a photograph showing the Panela type fresh cheese obtained after draining the curd illustrated in [Fig.3] and ready to be marketed;

[0048] [Fig.4] - [Fig.4] is a photograph showing Panela type fresh cheese without food ingredient (example 1, left part of the photograph) and Panela type fresh cheese according to the invention and intended to be marketed (example 2, right part of the photograph)

[0049] [Fig.5] - [Fig.5] is a photograph showing the whey obtained during the formation according to the invention of the Panela type cheese with food ingredient (example 2, left part of the photograph) and the whey obtained during the formation according to the invention of the Panela type cheese without food ingredient (example 1, right part of the photograph). Detailed description of the invention

[0050] In the following description, identical, similar or analogous elements will be designated by the same reference numbers. EXAMPLES

[0051] EXAMPLE 1 (COMPARATIVE): preparation of a Panela type fresh curd cheese in accordance with a manufacturing process according to the prior art

[0052] Panela is a soft, fresh Mexican cheese with very little salt.

[0053] For 1000 l of fresh and / or reconstituted milk, a cheese manufacturer is typically able to produce around 150 kg of fresh curd cheese of the panela type. In this case, the cheese yield is then 15%.

[0054] During the formation of the curd, whey is also produced, which typically carries with it most of the water in the milk. Whey is typically composed of 94% water, 4 to 5% lactose, then soluble proteins (about 9%) and mineral salts.

[0055] In this example, from 1000 l of initial milk, in addition to the 150 kg of cheese, 850 kg of whey are recovered.

[0056] EXAMPLE 2: preparation of a fresh curd cheese of the Panela type according to the invention

[0057] In this example, we differ from example 1 by introducing (as illustrated in [Fig.l]), into 1000 l of fresh and / or reconstituted milk being stirred, 360 g of a food ingredient in accordance with the present invention, the composition of which is as follows:

[0058] - 234 g to 270 g of pea fiber;

[0059] - 43 g to 58 g of flax fibers;

[0060] - 25 g to 40 g of carrot fiber; and

[0061] - 21 g to 29 g of seaweed fibers.

[0062] An intermediate preparation of milk and fibers is then formed (see [Fig.l]). Then, in accordance with the method according to the invention, a homogenization treatment of the milk is carried out.

[0063] [Fig.2] shows that the milk with the food ingredient according to the invention has curdled, and the curd is recovered in molds.

[0064] [Fig.3] shows the fresh cheese once drained and intended for sale.

[0065] [Fig.4] shows that this fresh cheese (with food ingredient, on the part right of the photograph) has exactly the same appearance as that produced in example 1 (without food ingredient, left part of the photograph).

[0066] Thanks to the introduction of the food ingredient according to the invention, it is possible to produce 183 kg of cheese from this intermediate preparation of milk and fibers, which gives a cheese yield of 18.3%. This therefore results in an increase of 22% in this yield compared to the cheese yield obtained in Example 1.

[0067] In this example, from 1000 l of initial milk, in addition to the 183 kg of cheese, 817 kg of whey are recovered, i.e. less whey than in example 1.

[0068] [Fig. 5] shows that the whey of Example 2 (left part of the photograph) is much lighter than that obtained in Example 1 (right part of the photograph).

[0069] Thanks to the food ingredient according to the invention, a part of the constituents of the milk, which usually (without the food ingredient according to the invention) goes into the whey, remains in the cheese. References

[0070] [1] Gillis, JC., Ayerbe, A., (2018), Cheese, 4th edition, Lavoisier Tech & Doc, Lavoisier Paris, ISBN: 978-2-7430-2315-7;

[0071] [2] https: / / www.aquaportail.com / dictionnaire / definition / 6330 / ingredient-alimentaire ;

[0072] [3] www.fnec.fr / IMG / pdf / NI2008-176_Decret_fromage.pdf.

Claims

Claims

1. Food ingredient consisting of terrestrial plant fibers and marine algal fibers in powder form.

2. An ingredient, wherein said terrestrial plant fibers are in the form of micronized powders and are selected from the group consisting of pea fibers, flax fibers, and carrot fibers.

3. An ingredient according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said marine algal plant fibers are in the form of micronized powders and are selected from the group consisting of brown algae, red algae and green algae.

4. An ingredient according to claim 3, wherein said marine algal plant fibers are brown algae.

5. An ingredient according to claim 4, wherein said plant fibers are marine algae, and preferably brown algae of the fucaceae family.

6. An ingredient according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein said food ingredient comprises: - 50% to 85% by weight of pea fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 5% to 25% by weight of flax fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 2% to 20% by weight of carrot fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 2% to 15% by weight of seaweed fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient.

7. An ingredient according to claim 5, wherein said powdered mixture of terrestrial plant fibers and marine algal fibers comprises: - 60% to 80% by weight of pea fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 10% to 18% by weight of flax fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 5% to 13% by weight of carrot fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 5% to 10% by weight of algae fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient.

8. An ingredient according to claim 6, wherein said powdered mixture of terrestrial plant fibers and marine algal fibers comprises: - 65% to 75% by weight of pea fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 12% to 16% by weight of flax fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 7% to 11% by weight of carrot fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient; - 6% to 8% by weight of algae fibers relative to the total weight of said food ingredient.

9. A dairy product comprising a food ingredient as defined in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. Dairy product according to claim 9, selected from the group consisting of the following products: milk or any product resulting from the processing of milk as well as their derivatives or by-products.

11. Dairy product according to claim 10, wherein said derivatives or by-products include dairy drinks, cheeses and cheese preparations, yogurts, butter, whipped cream, ice creams.

12. Dairy product according to any one of claims 6 and 7, in the form of a cheese or a cheese preparation.

13. Process for manufacturing the cheese-type dairy product as defined according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises a prior step of introducing into milk the food ingredient as defined according to any one of claims 1 to 8, to form an intermediate preparation of milk and fibers, said prior step of introducing into milk the food premix composition being carried out before the homogenization treatment of the milk.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the food ingredient as defined in any one of claims 1 to 8 represents between 0.025% and 0.050% by weight of the weight of the intermediate preparation obtained at the end of the preliminary step of introducing said food ingredient into milk.

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