Semi-finished powdered food product based on plant foods and its manufacturing process

Abstract

The invention relates to a powder and dehydrated product essentially comprising or consisting of a food product of plant origin having a lipid content of at least 30% by weight and a water-soluble bulking agent. The invention also relates to a process for preparing this powder product.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to products resulting from the processing of whole foods of plant origin with a high lipid content, such as oily fruits, in particular almond fruits such as Prunus dulcis. More specifically, the products according to the invention are food products, usually after further transformation, primarily intended for human consumption. More specifically, the products are dehydrated food products P in the form of a fine powder. [Background technology]

[0002] The field of application of this product is usually in the field of producing finished food products, whether in liquid, cream, paste or solid form, usually by artisans and the food industry. More specifically, the product according to the invention can be used primarily as a base compound for preparing dairy-substitute plant-based drinks, or as a base for ice cream, puddings, bakery products, creams, sauces and other products that are usually prepared with cow's milk.

[0003] In recent years, interest in milk, especially plant-based milk as a substitute for cow's milk, such as almond or coconut milk, or rice or soy-based drinks, has been increasing as a substitute for traditional cow's milk.This interest has arisen both in order to meet the needs of many consumers, such as the demand for food preparations obtained from raw materials other than milk products and cheese products, and the latter (milk products and cheese products) contain many ingredients that cause allergies and intolerances, and also in terms of ethical and health-related choices made by consumers who prefer the nutritional properties of plant-based milk substitutes, which are considered to be more satisfying and healthy, as they do not contain ingredients such as lactose and cholesterol, and are an important source of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, as well as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

[0004] Currently, peanuts, soybeans, almonds, rice and hazelnuts are the main raw materials of plant origin that can be used to obtain milk alternative beverages.

[0005] Among the above-mentioned plant-based raw materials, almonds are used to produce the well-known almond milk, which is a beverage with organoleptic and sensory properties that are very similar in taste to cow's milk compared to beverages obtained from the above-mentioned plant-based raw materials other than almonds.Furthermore, almond milk differs from the above-mentioned beverages because it has a relatively neutral flavor.For example, soybean, the most well-known and widely used plant-based milk, still has the disadvantage of having a pronounced bean flavor and odor, while rice milk is more watery and less thick, unlike almond milk, which is creamier and has a density similar to cow's milk.Milk obtained from plant-based raw materials other than those listed above (such as coconut and pea) has a more pronounced flavor of the plant material used.

[0006] These plant-based beverages, including almond milk, are colloidal systems that contain, among other things, water, lipid and protein fractions, starch granules, and fiber derived from the raw materials used.

[0007] Currently, almond milk is obtained by dissolving 100% pure almond paste in water, and the mixture is subjected to a homogenization process to completely dissolve the almond paste, which is not immediately water-soluble due to its lipid content.

[0008] Furthermore, almond paste is not stable during storage (its shelf life is limited by the phenomenon of the lipid fraction present in relatively large amounts in the paste rising to the surface), and for this reason it must be stored at temperatures below 10° C. The beverages obtained with this paste are also problematic.

[0009] The products are emulsions, and therefore the main problems that arise are caused by their limited stability over time, i.e. mainly during their storage period. Indeed, during storage, phenomena of sedimentation or floating to the surface can occur, which clearly reduces the quality of the beverage. As a result, the shelf life of these beverages is somewhat limited.

[0010] To overcome this problem and thus increase the stability of the beverage over time, it is possible, for example, to use a homogenization process and / or to add preservatives, especially emulsion stabilizers, e.g. hydrocolloids such as lecithin and agar-agar to the beverage.

[0011] Furthermore, the consistently low concentration liquid form of these products requires the handling and storage of large volumes, which creates significant problems in terms of product management costs. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0012] The present invention aims, inter alia, to overcome the aforementioned problems. Particularly surprisingly, a new dehydrated product P of the animal-free type based on natural foods of plant origin with a high lipid content has been found, which does not have the aforementioned problems. This product is a semi-finished product in the form of a fine powder and can be used as a base preparation for the artisanal or industrial preparation of finished products.

[0013] The food product P has a high temporal stability so as to maintain a high level of quality both in terms of its organoleptic properties and its nutritional properties, and can therefore also be stored for a long period of time, substantially longer than that of the aforementioned beverage or almond paste, without resorting to specific treatments to extend its shelf life.

[0014] Furthermore, advantageously, the product of the invention has the property of being stable at room temperature, which is important for its marketing purposes, and therefore does not require the use of, for example, a refrigeration system, occupies less space due to its smaller volume compared to liquid products, is easier and cheaper to store, and for this reason reduces management costs, especially those related to transportation and storage.

[0015] A further advantage of the product of the present invention is that it is at least highly water soluble / dispersible, which allows its rehydration and solubilization / dispersion simply by adding water to the product and subsequently stirring the resulting mixture, thus allowing its rapid conversion into a milk substitute liquid food that can be used as a substitute for cow's milk or other milks, only at its effective use.

[0016] Additionally, the powder form of the product makes it easy to handle and administer.

[0017] A further advantage of this product is its versatility, as it can be used to prepare a wide variety of finished products, in terms of consistency and taste, especially when the product is almond-based. Indeed, as noted above, the product of the present invention can be used as a milk substitute-based compound to adjust both the sweetness and flavor of finished products, as specified above. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] The present invention therefore relates to a semi-finished food product P in powder form comprising a food product of plant origin selected from oily fruits, the lipid content of which is at least 30% by weight. More particularly, said food product P essentially comprises, or preferably consists of, the following ingredients: a) a food product of plant origin selected from at least one fruit belonging to the group of oily fruits having a lipid content of at least 30% by weight; and b) vegetable bulking agents. Said components (a) and (b) are present in a weight ratio of 1:1, preferably varying from 1:1.2 to 1:7.

[0019] The food product P is partially dehydrated, ie has a moisture content of less than or equal to 10% by weight, preferably less than or equal to 8%, more preferably less than or equal to 6% relative to the total weight of the product P.

[0020] Typically, in said food product P, the food of plant origin (a) has a moisture content of less than or equal to 10% by weight.

[0021] Within the scope of the present invention, the expression "oleaginous fruits" refers to plant products with a high lipid content, which fruits are commonly known and classified as "nuts" and / or "dried fruits". The most common examples of oleaginous fruits that can be used are cashew nuts, peanuts, sweet or bitter almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, various types of walnuts, such as those produced by the common walnut tree Juglans regia L., Brazil nuts, coconuts, macadamia nuts, pecan nuts, etc.

[0022] Common oily fruits (i.e., almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, etc.) are actually seeds from a botanical point of view; therefore, the edible part is the seed.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment, component (a) is selected from foods such as hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts and almonds, more preferably foods with a mild flavor such as pine nuts, even more preferably almonds or a mixture of said nuts.

[0024] Thus, in this specification, the term "food" refers to both homogeneous nature, i.e., a single type of oily fruit, although it may be of different varieties, and heterogeneous nature, i.e., a mixture of two or more of said oily fruits with one another in any weight ratio. Component (a) can therefore be a mixture of oily fruits. In this case, the mixture preferably contains a higher amount of almonds relative to the amount of other oily fruits.

[0025] In this specification, all references to oily fruits and whole foods refer only to the edible portions thereof.

[0026] Thus, oleaginous fruits are so named because of the high lipid content of the edible part. Generally, for the purposes of the present invention, oleaginous fruits are preferred which contain lipids in an amount of at least 30% by weight, preferably 35% by weight, more preferably 40% by weight, and even more preferably at least 45% by weight, relative to the total weight of the natural food of plant origin. As an indication, oleaginous fruits have a lipid content of up to 76% by weight, relative to the total weight of the natural food of plant origin.

[0027] In these oily fruits, the lipids present are generally triglycerides, which are both saturated and mainly mono- and polyunsaturated medium- or long-chain fatty acids, as is well known to those skilled in the art. Generally, from a quality point of view, these fruits are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (mainly oleic acid) and a significant amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially fatty acids unsaturated at the ω-6 position. In particular, said polyunsaturated fatty acid is linoleic acid.

[0028] In the food product P according to the invention, the oily fruit in the form of food of plant origin (a) can take one of the following forms: - in fresh form, in which the fruit is in non-dehydrated or dehydrated form or in a mixture of said forms; - Roasted form.

[0029] Of course, food product P may also contain oily fruits in both of said forms (i.e., raw or roasted), said forms being in any weight ratio to one another, the roasting of said oily fruits being a cooking method that gives the fruits a particular aroma that is also found in food product P.

[0030] Additionally, roasting can reduce the moisture content of the fruit, typically by half or more by weight.

[0031] In the food product P according to the invention, the oily fruits in roasted form are preferably almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, cashew nuts.

[0032] Said food product P comprises a food product of plant origin (a) derived from a corresponding natural food product of plant origin (i).

[0033] As used herein, the term "whole" refers to a food product that is freshly picked as found in nature, i.e., a food product whose nutritional properties have not been artificially altered since its composition was altered after it was picked.

[0034] The food of plant origin (a) is in the form of a paste and is therefore different from the corresponding natural food of plant origin (i) from which it is derived.

[0035] Another possible difference concerns the water content: indeed, the food product of plant origin (a) may have a lower water content than the corresponding natural food product of plant origin (i) from which it is derived, if the latter has been subjected to dehydration before being converted into a paste, in which case the food product of plant origin (a) has a water content of not more than 30% by weight, preferably not more than 15% by weight, more preferably not more than 10% by weight.

[0036] In addition to the differences mentioned above, the food of plant origin (a) may, if desired, further differ from the corresponding natural food of plant origin (i) in its chemical composition when roasted rather than in raw form.

[0037] Thus, the food of plant origin (a) present in the food product P according to the invention is a food in which the only possible food transformation process or treatment is said cooking (roasting).

[0038] Thus, a food of plant origin (a) is a food that has not been subjected to intensive manipulation processes to modify its qualitative and / or quantitative composition, especially with regard to its macronutrients, i.e., nutrients belonging to the classes of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates, and micronutrients, such as vitamins. Therefore, a food of plant origin (a) is not a food that has been enriched (as in the case of the addition of vitamins, mineral salts) or modified to obtain a desired qualitative and / or quantitative profile of macronutrients (e.g., fats), and therefore differs from the corresponding natural food. Depending on the type of manipulation, the engineered food may, for example, have a lower fat content and / or be enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids, or may be rich in proteins, etc., and the engineered food may have a different nutrient composition from the corresponding food of origin, i.e., natural food.

[0039] In other words, food of plant origin (a) is a food that may have undergone only physical changes, as related to its composition, determined by dehydration or said roasting.

[0040] The botanical bulking agent is preferably solubilizable in water to at least 70%, preferably 75%, more preferably 95% of its weight, i.e., has a solubility in water of preferably at least 95% at temperatures between 8°C and 30°C.

[0041] The botanical bulking agent is preferably selected from the following ingredients: - starches such as wheat starch and starch derivatives such as maltodextrin and glucose syrup; - Sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose; - Gums such as gum arabic; - plant fibres such as inulin and fibres derived from wheat, corn, rice and almonds; - Plant proteins such as proteins from pulses (lupin, soybean, chickpea, pea), rice protein, and corn protein; - natural or modified cellulose, such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose; - Extracted or synthetic hydrocolloids such as carrageenan.

[0042] A preferred vegetable bulking agent is maltodextrin.

[0043] More preferably, in the product P according to the invention, said components (a) and (b) are present in the following amounts (percentages by weight): - Component (a) is 13 to 45%, more preferably 15 to 45%, usually 20 to 35% - Component (b) is 55-87%, more preferably 55-85%, usually 65-80%.

[0044] As stated, product P essentially comprises, or preferably consists of, said components (a) and (b).

[0045] If further ingredients other than ingredients (a) and (b) are present, said further ingredients are contained in the food product P in an amount of not more than 10% by weight, preferably 5% by weight, more preferably 2% by weight, and even more preferably 1% by weight, relative to the total weight of the food product P.

[0046] As mentioned above, the food product P is formed substantially only from the components (a) and (b), and therefore the product P is not rich in proteins, sweet-tasting sugars (either in their pure form or, for example, in the form of syrups), fats, isolated nutritional substances such as vitamins, or food additives such as flavors, colorants, antioxidants, stabilizers, etc. Maltodextrin is particularly suitable as a bulking agent due to the fact that it has a substantially neutral flavor, i.e., is tasteless.

[0047] In the present invention, any type of maltodextrin can be used, but typically, maltodextrins having a dextrose equivalent content of between 10 and 20, preferably between 12 and 20, and more preferably between 15 and 20 are more preferred.

[0048] For example, the types of maltodextrin that may be used in the products of the present invention have the following properties: - Apparent density (fluid bulk density) of 400-600 g / l, - Particle size: no more than 10% greater than 250 μm and less than 50% less than 40 μm.

[0049] The food product P has a lipid content of 2.5 to 20% by weight, preferably 5 to 18% by weight, more preferably 7 to 16% by weight, based on the total weight of the product P.

[0050] It should be noted that the product P according to the invention is a plant food derivative, which therefore means that this product P does not contain any food of animal origin obtained, for example, directly by milking an animal, i.e. typically milk, or any of its converted products such as milk powder, cheese, yogurt, etc.

[0051] As mentioned above, the product P according to the invention is in powder form, preferably a very fine powder. As an indication, said powder may have a particle size, determined using a digital micrometer, of 80 to 250 μm, preferably 80 to 200 μm, more preferably 80 to 180 μm.

[0052] Furthermore, the product P according to the invention has a powder density, determined by weighing a known volume, typically between 300 and 500 g / l, preferably between 350 and 400 g / l.

[0053] The product P according to the invention has a light colour, for example light beige to almost white, depending on the initial food product used.

[0054] Furthermore, the product P according to the invention has a delicate flavour or a slight hint of flavour.

[0055] A white or substantially white product with a very delicate flavour is preferred.

[0056] Therefore, the present invention also relates to the use of said product P for the purpose of preparing a finished food product, i.e., for the purpose of preparing it for consumption. In fact, the product P according to the present invention is typically a semi-finished product. More specifically, the product P according to the present invention is preferably added to other ingredients to prepare a finished product. For this purpose, the product P can be added as is, i.e., in powder form, or in liquid form, i.e., after rehydration. The product P according to the present invention is easily rehydrated and dispersed. Depending on the type and recipe of the finished product to be prepared, the product P can be used as is or only after rehydration.

[0057] The liquid preparation is obtained by a process comprising a step of adding a suitable liquid to product P in the amount desired to obtain a beverage with the desired organoleptic properties and consistency. To improve the rehydration of product P in said liquid, said step involves mixing, which may also continue following the addition of the liquid to product P. This process is usually carried out at room temperature. Usually, the liquid added to product P is water.

[0058] After adding a liquid, in particular water, to said product P, a beverage is obtained which can be used as a substitute for milk of animal origin.

[0059] The amount of water by weight into which the product P is dispersed to obtain the beverage can vary greatly depending on the requirements, and therefore the strength of the resulting beverage. As an indication, this amount of water can vary between 300 and 1000 g for 100 g of powdered product P.

[0060] As mentioned above, this product P is primarily intended for the food industry and artisans and can be used, after rehydration if necessary and conversion to a liquid, as a base for producing, for example, ice cream, puddings, creams, bakery products, sauces, etc.

[0061] The present invention therefore also relates to finished food products in liquid, cream or paste form, or in solid form (e.g. dairy substitute plant-based drinks or ice creams, puddings, bakery products, creams and sauces) which have as a base, i.e. obtained from said food product P as such or after its rehydration.

[0062] According to the type of original natural food of plant origin, the product P according to the present invention has its own color and flavor. The most versatile products P for use are those with a white or very light color and a delicate flavor. These products are usually sweet almond-based products.

[0063] The invention further relates to a process for preparing product P. Product P is, as described above, a semi-finished product in the form of a dehydrated powder.

[0064] Known conversion processes enabling foods to assume a dehydrated powder form generally have various stages, including at least the dehydration of the natural food, which is carried out, as the case may be, either in its original state (after converting it into a concentrated form if necessary) if it is a liquid, or after grinding the food if it is a solid.

[0065] The dehydration process affects the technological and nutritional properties of the dehydrated product, so the choice of a specific type of technological treatment is important to modify the properties of the finished product.

[0066] A particular process widely used in the food industry is the spray drying technique, which produces products with high technological and nutritional properties. This technique, among other things, allows for the production of low-density powders that can be easily rehydrated and dispersed as needed. Therefore, this technique is also preferred for the production of the product P according to the present invention.

[0067] Currently, in food industry, only liquid foods, that is, foods with high water content in their composition, are processed by spray drying technology.Therefore, these foods are usually water-like drinks such as fruit juice, tea and coffee.In addition, these liquid preparations may not have the same nutritional composition as the original food they are derived from, as previously shown in relation to the difference in nutritional properties between almond milk and almond.

[0068] In the spray drying process used to produce the product P according to the invention, the initial compound generally has the consistency of a paste, rather than a fluid preparation as described above.

[0069] In fact, after grinding the aforementioned foods, especially oily fruits, it is necessary to subject the ground product to a subsequent spray drying process, which, due to the high lipid content typical of said foods, results in a preparation with a pasty / viscous consistency, which can then be subjected to a spray drying process carried out according to known techniques.

[0070] In this process, the paste / viscous preparation obtained from the grinding stage is mixed with the vegetable bulking agent described above in order to obtain a product P having the above-mentioned properties and advantages.

[0071] In summary, the product P according to the invention is typically prepared by a process T which comprises, as essential steps, preferably the grinding of the oily fruit as described above until it is converted into a paste (or cream) form, followed by mixing it with a vegetable bulking agent to obtain a mixture M, which is then subjected to a dehydration step to obtain a dehydrated fine powder.

[0072] In particular, the manufacturing process T of the product P starts with a step S1 in which the oily fruit, in raw or roasted form, after being shelled and optionally also peeled, is transformed into a paste or cream. Said step S1 can be carried out according to known methods. Of course, said process T can make use of pre-prepared, possibly commercially available, oily fruit pastes or creams, such as almond or pistachio pastes.

[0073] Generally, said step S1 for preparing said oily fruit paste or cream comprises the following steps: - Crushing oily fruits to obtain a paste or cream, refining if necessary.

[0074] The grinding process is carried out, for example, in a ball mill, which can also have a homogenizing effect on the paste, and if necessary, the resulting paste is further homogenized.

[0075] This or any of these steps may optionally be preceded by roasting the shelled and optionally peeled oleaginous fruit, followed by cooling the roasted oleaginous fruit, usually to room temperature.

[0076] Roasting is usually carried out at temperatures between 80 and 100°C for 2 to 15 minutes.

[0077] More specifically, the process T includes the following steps, which are followed in the order listed: I) preparing a mixture M by mixing at least the following components: - a food product (I) of vegetable origin obtained from the aforementioned oily fruits and mixtures thereof, preferably in the form of a paste or cream, and - vegetable fillers, generally and preferably in powder form; The two components are mixed in a ratio (by weight) varying from 1:1, preferably from 1:1.2 to 1:7; and II) subjecting the mixture M prepared in the previous step to nebulization / atomization; III) Obtaining the product in powder form by dehydration of the product obtained in the previous step.

[0078] As mentioned, the paste or cream (I) obtained by grinding the fruit is used to prepare the mixture M. The food of plant origin (I), i.e. the oily fruit used to prepare the paste or cream, can be in one of the following forms: - in raw form, dehydrated (or dried) if necessary, e.g., usually using ventilation solely for the purpose of reducing moisture; - Roasted form

[0079] The above dehydration and roasting processes are known per se and will not be described further.

[0080] In the above process, the food used in step (I) is in the form of a paste or cream and can be obtained in this form according to processes well known to those skilled in the art, one of which is briefly described below.

[0081] As previously mentioned, the paste or cream of the oily fruit does not contain substances that are not present in the oily fruit from which the paste or cream is made.

[0082] The mixture M produced in step (I) is prepared using a conventional mixer. Typically, mixing is carried out at a temperature between 10 and 50°C, usually at room temperature. To avoid deterioration of the food, it is desirable that the temperature in this step is not too high. For this purpose, mixing can be carried out at a constant speed. This step (I) is extended for the time necessary to obtain the desired homogeneous mixture.

[0083] After preparing this mixture M comprising at least said food of plant origin (I) and said plant-based bulking agent, it is passed to a process stage in which the mixture M is subjected to dehydration, preferably using the spray drying technique.

[0084] As mentioned above, spray drying techniques for dehydrating the mixture are preferred because they allow for a high quality dehydrated product to be obtained even after a short drying time (i.e., a short exposure time of the food to heat), with reduced heat-induced deterioration and / or spoilage of the food.

[0085] Briefly, according to one embodiment, the mixture M is first subjected to atomization / atomization in a rotary atomizer to form droplets, and then all is placed in a dehydration chamber.

[0086] After the droplets are formed, they are washed by a countercurrent of hot air supplied at a temperature in the range of 165-200°C.

[0087] From the dehydration chamber, everything is transferred to a powder separator (cyclone) where the dehydrated powder is separated from the gas.

[0088] The resulting dehydrated powder is discharged from a powder separator and collected, then typically sieved to obtain a more homogeneous fine powder, and finally packaged.

[0089] The sieving is preferably carried out using a sieve having an appropriate mesh size to obtain the product P with the particle size described above.

[0090] Examples of the present invention are provided below purely for purposes of non-limiting illustration. [Example]

[0091] [Example 1] Preparation of sweet almond-based mixture M Mixture M is prepared using an almond paste containing only sweet almonds of the Tuono variety from Val di Noto, manufactured by DiBartolo S.r.l.

[0092] The paste has the following properties: - 55.3% lipid content by weight - 1.60% moisture content.

[0093] The mixture M is prepared starting from the following substances (parts by weight): 25 parts of said sweet almond paste, and - 75 parts of maltodextrin in white powder form.

[0094] The maltodextrin used has the following characteristics: - 18-20 dextrose equivalent content - Apparent density (flowing bulk density) of approximately 500 g / l - Particle size: no more than 10% greater than 250 μm and less than 50% less than 40 μm.

[0095] The mixture is produced in a mixer. The mixing process is carried out at a temperature of 25°C and at a constant speed.

[0096] The mixture is in the form of a paste, has a viscosity of less than 200 cps, and has a pH of 5-6.

[0097] [Spray drying process] Subsequently, the above mixture M is subjected to a spray drying process, ie, firstly atomized in a rotary atomizer and then dehydrated in a dehydration chamber.

[0098] The droplets thus formed are washed by a countercurrent of hot air at a temperature in the range of 175°C to 185°C.

[0099] At the end of the process, a dehydrated fine powder is formed with a particle size in the range of 140-180 μm.

[0100] The resulting product P is a powder with a moisture content of 4.68%.

[0101] The powder is white and has a very delicate flavor.

[0102] The fine powder thus obtained is mixed at room temperature and then rehydrated in a ratio of 100 grams of powder to 500 grams of water to form a milky white liquid.

[0103] The production of both ice cream and pudding was carried out without any problems using the milky liquid formed with the product P thus obtained instead of milk, as was the production of bakery products using the product P in powder form directly.

[0104] [Sensory test] The final cream and bakery products were tested by a panel of taste testers who detected no objectionable odors or flavors.

Claims

1. A semi-finished food product P in powder form having a moisture content of 10% by weight or less, i) a plant-based food (component (a)) selected from cashew nuts, peanuts, sweet almonds, bitter almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, and mixtures thereof; ii) starch and starch derivatives (component (b)) acting as vegetable bulking agents, at least 70% by weight of which are water soluble; The weight ratio (a:b) of said component (a) to said component (b) varies from 1:1 to 1:

7.

2. 2. Food product P according to claim 1, wherein the weight ratio (a:b) of said component (a) to said component (b) varies from 1:1.2 to 1:

7.

3. 3. Food product P according to claim 1 or 2, wherein component (b) is maltodextrin.

4. The components (a) and (b) are present in a quantitative amount (weight percent) of the components (a) and (b), - 13 to 45% of said plant food (a), and - 55-87% maltodextrin, The food product P according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

5. Food product P according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plant food (a) is in raw or roasted form.

6. Food product P according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plant food (a) is in dehydrated or non-dehydrated form.

7. Food product P according to any one of claims 1 to 6, having a lipid content of 2.5 to 20% by weight.

8. Food product P according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the particle size of the powder is between 80 and 250 μm.

9. A process for preparing the food product P of claim 1, comprising: I) At least: a food product (I) of plant origin in the form of a paste or cream obtained from at least one plant food product (component (a)) selected from cashew nuts, peanuts, sweet almonds, bitter almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, and mixtures thereof; starch and starch derivatives which act as vegetable bulking agents and which are water soluble or at least 70% by weight water soluble; Preparing a mixture M by mixing a preparing step in which the food of plant origin (I) and the vegetable bulking agent are mixed in a weight ratio of 1:1 to 1:7 (food of plant origin (I): vegetable bulking agent); II) subjecting the mixture M prepared in the previous step to atomization / atomization; III) obtaining a product in powder form by dehydration of the product obtained in the previous step; The process includes:

10. 10. The process according to claim 9, wherein the weight ratio between the food of plant origin (I) and the vegetable filler in the mixture M (food of plant origin (I): vegetable filler) varies from 1:1.2 to 1:

7.

11. 11. The process according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the mixture M is subjected to a spray drying process.

12. Use of a food product P according to any one of claims 1 to 8 for preparing a finished food product in liquid, cream or paste form, or in solid form.

13. Use of a food product P according to any one of claims 1 to 8 for preparing a finished food product selected from dairy replacer plant-based drinks, ice creams, puddings, bakery products, creams and sauces.