Method for producing a soft vegan cheese analogue

Abstract

Provided herein is a method for preparing a vegan cheese analogue, the method comprising a) providing a liquid base, b) optionally mixing at least one additional ingredient to obtain a cheese analogue base, c) heating the liquid base or the cheese base to obtain a pasteurized cheese analogue base, d) cooling the pasteurized cheese analogue base to obtain a cooled cheese analogue base, and e) reworking the cooled cheese analogue base to obtain a cheese analogue. Provided herein is also a cheese analogue obtained through said method.

Description

[0001]METHOD^FOR^PRODUCING^A^SOFT^VEGAN^CHEESE^ANALOGUE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for producing a soft vegancheese analogue, and a soft vegan cheese analogue produced using said method.More precisely the invention relates to a process for producing a plant-based, pref- erably an oat-based, cheese analogue resembling goat cheese. The present inven- tion also relates to a vegan cheese analogue produced by said method. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The popularity and demand for vegan and plant-based cheese ana- logues has been steadily growing in the recent years. A growing portion of the pop- ulation has begun consuming plant-based cheese analogues, also known as cheese alternatives, instead of conventional dairy-based cheeses. Some reasons for choos- ing cheese analogues instead of dairy-based cheeses include, for example, allergies,health reasons, religion, and sustainability. For example, many people have startedrefraining from traditional dairy-based cheeses for environmental reasons. In other words, the demand for non-dairy cheese alternatives has been growingworldwide, and new alternatives resembling conventional cheeses are desired.There are already some plant-based cheese analogues in the market, but there is demand for cheese analogues with better organoleptic properties. Theconsumers desire plant-based cheese analogues with taste and texture that is sim-ilar to or better than those of the conventional dairy-based cheeses. Another problem with current vegan cheese analogues is that the nutri- tional properties of many cheese analogues do not meet the requirements set bythe consumers. Many vegan cheese analogues are based on hard fats or modifiedstarches and are lacking in their protein and fiber content.Goat cheese is a type of cheese prepared from goat milk. The cheese is typically prepared by filtering the milk, curdling the milk, moulding the curdled part of the milk, and drying, flavouring and curing the curd. The process may vary to change the texture and the flavour of the goat cheese. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention intends to solve the aforementioned problems by providing a method for producing a soft white vegan cheese analogues which mim- ics the texture and taste of conventional goat cheese. An object of the present invention is thus to provide a method so as to solve the above problems. The objects of the invention are achieved by a method which are characterized by what is stated in the independent claims. The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims. The current invention thereby provides a method for preparing a vegan cheese analogue, the method comprising, (a) providing a liquid base, (b) optionally mixing at least one additional ingredient selected from the group consisting of plant-based fat(s), plant-based oil(s), potato derived pro-tein(s), oat derived protein(s), salt, native or modified starch, acid(s), aromatic(s),or any mixture thereof with the liquid base to obtain a cheese base, (c) heating the liquid base of step (a) or the cheese base of step (b) intoa pasteurizing temperature to obtain a pasteurized cheese base,(d) cooling the pasteurized cheese base, optionally in a mould, in a cool-ing temperature, to obtain a cooled cheese base, in which the fat(s) in the cheese-base have crystallised and the starch(es) in the cheese-base have formed a starch network, (e) reworking the cooled cheese-base to obtain a cheese analogue, inwhich the starch network inside the cheese analogue have been reassembled. In a preferred embodiment the the liquid base is a liquid oat base, pref-erably wherein the cheese analogue base contains 40 to 90 wt% of liquid oat-base,and wherein the oat content of the liquid oat base is preferably from 5 to 15 wt%.Another object of the present invention is to provide a vegan cheese an-alogue obtained by the present method.General benefits of the method are as follows; the method enables pro-duction of vegan cheese analogues which mimic the organoleptic properties andthe texture of conventional goat cheese without the need for dairy products. Thecheese analogues obtained through the present method are suitable for people al- lergic to dairy products, and they are more sustainable than conventional cheese products. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The properties, such as texture, nutritional values, colour, and mallea-bility, of cheese analogues, are often lacking in comparison to conventional dairy-based cheeses. For a cheese analogue to appeal to the consumers, these properties need to be similar or better than those of conventional cheeses. Goat cheese has a unique flavour and consistency, which is soft butmaintains its shape. Conventional goat cheese can be cut into pieces or slices with-out the cheese crumbling, and it melts when heated. Therefore, the cheese analogue mimicking goat cheese needs to have a good taste, soft texture, good melting prop- erties, good malleability, and it should not crumble when cut into pieces or slices. The method of the present invention enables production of goat cheese like soft, white cheese analogues with improved taste and texture. The cheese ana-logue obtained through the method has a taste which resembles conventional goatcheese and has a better mouthfeel in comparison to other cheese analogues. Thetexture of the cheese analogue is soft and malleable, and it is easier to cut intopieces of desired size without crumbling. The method described herein enablesproduction of vegan cheese analogues with these desired properties. Herein, the term “vegan” refers to food (more specifically, cheese ana- logues), which contain no ingredients of animal origin, for example, milk and / or fat(s) of animal origin. The first step of the method of the invention is provision of a liquid base which does not include dairy products or other animal products. The liquid base is vegan, preferably a plant-based liquid suitable for carrying out the method of this invention. Some examples suitable to be used as the liquid base for the method include a liquid oat base, such as oat milk, nut milk, legume-based milk, water, soymilk or any mixture thereof. It should be noted that the liquid base can be any veganor plant-based liquid suitable for consumption and suitable for cheese analogue production, and that the liquid base should not be limited to the examples in the aforementioned list. Preferably the liquid base is a plant-based liquid base, for example aplant-based milk. More preferably the liquid base is a liquid oat base. Herein, the term “plant-based milk” refers to any type of milk analogue or milk alternative which is of plant origin. Preferably the plant-based milk ana- logue does not contain or is free from any ingredients of animal origin. In an embodiment, the liquid base is a liquid oat base.The liquid oat base can be any type of liquid base containing oats, andsuitable for carrying out the method of the present invention. One example of asuitable liquid oat base is an oat-water-mixture obtained by mixing solid oats withwater. The solid oats used to obtain the oat-water-mixture can be, for example,rough or fine milled oat flour. Preferably the solid oat is fine milled oat flour ob-tained by fine milling oats.In an embodiment the liquid base is an oat-water-mixture obtained by mixing solid oats with water. Preferably the oat-water-mixture is obtained by mix- ing fine oat flour and / or fine oat protein flour with water. Another example of a suitable liquid base or a suitable liquid oat base isa liquefied oat-water-mixture, which is obtained by liquefying the oat-water-mix-ture. This liquefaction can be performed using one or more enzymes and letting theenzymes react with the mixture in a temperature suitable for inducing enzymaticactivity. The aforementioned enzymes can be inactivated through heating the liq-uefied oat-water-mixture. The one or more enzymes used to liquefy the oat-water-mixture can, for example, be alpha-amylase, amyloglucosidase and beta-glucanase.Preferably the one or more enzymes used to liquefy the oat-water-mixture are se- lected from alpha-amylase, 1,4-α-glucosidase (amyloglucosidase) and endo-1,3(4)- β-glucanase (beta-glucanase).In an embodiment the liquid base is a liquefied oat-water-mixture ob- tained by mixing solid oats with water to obtain an oat-water-mixture and liquefy-ing the oat-water-mixture in one or more liquefying steps to obtain a liquefied oat-water-mixture. Preferably the liquefying is performed through enzymatic reactionusing one or more suitable enzymes. Optionally the enzymes are inactivated byheating the liquefied oat-water-mixture to a pasteurizing temperature after lique-faction. The oat content of the liquid oat-base can be between about 5 to about15 wt%. Preferably the oat content of the liquid oat-base is between about 7 toabout 12 wt%. More preferably the oat content of the liquid oat-base is betweenabout 8 to about 10 wt%. Most preferably the oat content of the oat-base is about8 wt%.Typically, the methods for preparing oat-based milks involve removalof solid oat pieces of larger particle sizes, for example, through a decanting stepand / or a centrifugation step. One reason for this is to improve the mouthfeel of the oat-based milk. However, in the case of this method for producing cheese ana- logues, it is not necessary to remove these solid oat pieces from the liquid oat base. In fact, it is preferred to use a liquid oat base from which solid oat particles havenot been removed. This can improve the mouthfeel and texture of the vegan cheeseanalogue. Another typical feature of the methods used for preparing oat-based milks is the removal or breakage of the beta-glucans naturally present in the oat. Despite their known health benefits beta-glucans are typically unwanted in oat- based milks because their presence can result in a slimy mouthfeel. In the case of this method for producing cheese analogues a liquid oat base, in which the beta- glucans are present and remain intact, can be used. This enables production of a vegan cheese analogue with additional health benefits due to the presence of beta- glucans in the cheese analogue. The aforementioned method for obtaining a liquid oat base preferably does not contain or is free from a decanting step, a centrifugation step, or a step for separating solids from the liquefied oat-water-mixture. In one embodiment, the beta-glucans in the liquid oat-base are presentthroughout the preparation process of the liquid oat-base. In one embodiment the liquid base is a liquid oat-base, which has beenprepared according to a method comprising the following steps;- mixing oat flour with water to obtain an oat-water-mixture,- liquefying the oat-water-mixture through enzymatic liquefaction,- optionally inactivating the enzymes to liquefy the oat-water-mix-ture, wherein the method of preparing a liquid oat-base is free from a step of removing solid oat particles, such as a decanting step or a centrifugation step. In an embodiment of the invention, the liquid base is a liquid oat-base in which the beta-glucans present in the liquid oat-base are intact. Optionally this liquid oat-base contains solids, such as solid oat particles, which have not been re- moved from the liquid oat-base. After the provision of a liquid oat base, the pH of the liquid base is op-tionally lowered by adding acid(s) and / or fermenting. The pH can, for example, belowered by fermenting with lactic acid bacteria. Fermenting with lactic acid bacte-ria or addition of acid(s) improves shelf life of the final product.In one embodiment the method for preparing the cheese analogue com- prises lowering the pH of the liquid base through fermenting with lactic acid bac- teria. The method of the present invention can further comprise a step of mix-ing one or more additional ingredients to the liquid base to obtain a cheese ana-logue base. These ingredients can, for example, be chosen from plant-based fat(s), plant-based oil(s), potato derived protein(s), salt, modified and / or native starch(es), acid(s), aromatic(s), or any mixture thereof. In an embodiment, the method comprises mixing at least one additionalingredient to the liquid base. Preferably, the additional ingredient being selected from the group consisting of plant-based fat(s), plant-based oil(s), potato derived protein(s), salt, modified and / or native starch(es), acid(s), aromatic(s), or any mix- ture thereof, to obtain a cheese analogue base. Optionally the liquid base can be enriched with calcium, for example, byadding calcium phosphate to the liquid base, to obtain a liquid base with calciumlevels similar to that of milk. Herein, the term “cheese analogue base” refers to a mixture comprisingthe liquid base and at least one additional ingredient. In an embodiment the cheese analogue base contains the following in-gredients: liquid oat base, vegetable fat, starch, lactic acid, aromatic(s), and salt. In the case the liquid base is a liquid oat base, the cheese analogue basepreferably contains about 40 to about 90 wt% of liquid oat-base. More preferablythe cheese analogue base contains about 70 to about 80 wt% of liquid oat base.In one embodiment, the cheese analogue can comprise the following in-gredients in the following amounts: 40 – 90 wt% liquid oat-base, 10 – 20 wt% fat,5 - 15 wt% starch, 0 - 8 wt% protein, 0 – 1 wt% lactic acid, 0 – 1 wt% aromatic(s),and 0 – 2 wt% salt.In another embodiment the amount of liquid oat-base is 70 to 80 wt%,the amount of fat is 10 – 15 wt%, the amount of starch is 8 – 13 wt%, the amountof protein is 1-3 wt%, the amount of lactic acid is 0,45 – 0,65 wt%, the amount ofaromatics is 0 – 1 wt%, and the amount of salt is 0 – 1,8 wt%.The liquid base or the cheese analogue base can then be heated to a pas-teurizing temperature to obtain a pasteurized cheese analogue base. A personskilled in the art is capable of selecting conditions, such as temperature and heatingtime, suitable for pasteurizing the liquid base or the cheese analogue base.In an embodiment the enzymes in the liquid base are inactivated beforepasteurizing. Then coconut fat, potato protein, and starch(es) are added to the liq- uid base. After this, the pH is decreased using lactic acid, and it is seasoned using salt and optionally aromatics. The resulting cheese analogue base is then pasteur- ized. Optionally the method further comprises hot filling before a cooling step. In this case, hot filling is used to mould the cheese analogue base or the pas- teurized cheese analogue base. The cheese analogue base or the pasteurized cheese analogue base isthen cooled in a cooling temperature to obtain a cooled cheese analogue base. Thiscooling step is optionally performed in a mould.. During the cooling step, the fat(s)in the cheese analogue base crystallise, and the starch(es) in the cheese analogue base form a starch network, which keeps the cooled cheese analogue base in shape. In the cooling step the temperature used is below about 15 °C. Prefera-bly the cooling temperature is below about 10 °C. More preferably the cooling tem-perature is below about 8 °C.The cooling step can last for about 1 to about 120 hours, preferablyabout 24 to about 120 hours. More preferably the cheese analogue base is cooledfor about 72 hours. Shorter cooling times (less than 72 hours) results in a stickyconsistency which makes it difficult to handle and process the cooled cheese ana-logue base and make it more difficult to obtain the desired consistency in the finalproduct. In an embodiment the cheese analogue base is cooled in a mould at atemperature below about 8 °C for about 72 hours.The cooling step is followed by areworking step, in which the starch network inside the cooled cheese analoguebase is broken to obtain a cheese analogue, in which the starch network has beenreassembled. Herein the term “reworking” refers to any type of process in whichthe starch network within the cooled cheese analogue base is reassembled. The re-working process can, for example, be vacuum filling, or cold extrusion. Preferablythe reworking process is vacuum filling. The purpose of the reworking step is to break and reassemble the starch network within the cooled cheese analogue base instead of merely moulding or shaping the cooled cheese analogue base. Preferablythe reworking step is performed after the crystallisation of the fat(s) within thecooled cheese analogue base. The reworking step can comprise one or more steps in which same or different reworking methods are used either consequently or continuously. In one embodiment the reworking step comprises the following steps: -the cooled cheese analogue base is inserted into a reworking unit,- the cooled cheese analogue base is conveyed and kneaded inside thereworking unit, preferably under mild pressure, to break the origi-nal cheese analogue structure,- optionally the product is processed continuously to obtain a homog-enous and defined cheese analogue mass without entrapped air,- the processed cheese analogue mass proceeds to an evacuation unit,where it is forced through an opening to obtain an extruded cheese analogue mass, and -the extruded cheese analogue mass is clipped to obtain the cheeseanalogue, in which the starch network inside the cheese analogue has been reassembled. Vacuum filling is a method used in production of pasty products, suchas sausages and butter. In vacuum filling, the product is fed into a hopper andmoved into the feed system mechanically with an actively driven feeding auger and via vertical vacuum suction. Inside the feed system and underneath the hopper is a moving vane cell feed system with low pressure or vacuum inside. The pressure difference between the ambient pressure and the lower pressure inside the cellsand the continuous movement of the feed system ensure that the cells are continu-ously filled with product. The portioning volume depends on the volume of the cellsof the feed system and the rotation distance of the rotor, and is set in the control system of the feed system. In an embodiment the reworking step is vacuum filling. The benefits of vacuum filling include better consistency, enhanced hy-giene, preciseness, high cost efficiency, and reduced air inclusion.In another embodiment the reworking step is carried out in a reworkingunit comprising one or more screws which convey and knead the cooled cheeseanalogue base. Instead of vacuum filling, the reworking can be performed using food extrusion methods. Extrusion is a process which combines several unit operations including mixing, cooking, kneading, shearing, shaping and forming. The main prin- ciples of the extrusion methods are similar in different extrusion methods: -raw materials such as food material are fed into the extruder barrel,- screw(s) inside the extruder barrel then convey the food materialalong it. -further down the barrel, smaller flights restrict the volume and in-crease the resistance to movement of the food material.- the barrel is filled and the spaces between the screw flights and be-comes compressed,- as the food material moves further along the barrel, the screw(s)knead(s) the material into a semi-solid, plasticised mass, -the food is then passed to the section of the barrel having the small-est flights, where pressure, and shearing is further increased, -the mass is forced through one or more restricted openings at thedischarge end of the barrel, and -as the food emerges under pressure from the opening, it expands tothe final shape and cools rapidly as moisture is flashed off as steam. In traditional extrusion methods the temperatures used exceed 100 °C.However, as an alternative, cold extrusion can be used. In the case of cold extrusion,the temperatures are kept relatively low (below 100 °C) to, for example, maintainnutritional content of the extruded product. Typically, cold extrusion can be usedto produce sweets, such as cookies. Benefit of this method in comparison to typicalextrusion is that the lower temperatures enable handling of heat sensitive ingredi- ents. In case the reworking step is performed using cold extrusion, the typical cold extrusion equipment comprises at least the following: a barrel, at least one screw inside a barrel which conveys the cooled cheese analogue base along the bar- rel and kneads the cooled cheese analogue base into a semi-mass, and a die at the discharge end of the barrel through which the semi-mass is forced through to ob- tain a cold extruded cheese analogue. In an especially beneficial embodiment of the invention, the reworkingmethod is cold extrusion. In an embodiment the cold extrusion comprises: -feeding the cooled cheese analogue base into the extruder barrel,- conveying the cooled cheese analogue base along the barrel using atleast one screw inside the barrel, -the at least one screw kneading the cheese analogue base into asemi-solid, plasticised mass, -forcing the mass through one or more restricted openings (dies) atthe discharge end of the barrel, -optionally clipping the mass forced through the one or more re-stricted openings, and -obtaining a cheese analogue.While extrusion methods can typically be used to mould or shape theextruded food material, the purpose of the cold extrusion in the method of theinvention is to rework, break and reassemble the starch network within the cooledcheese analogue base. As a result of the reworking step, the texture of the obtainedcheese analogue is softer and more malleable and less likely to crumble when cutor sliced. In cold extrusion the lower temperatures used enable production of a softwhite cheese analogue in which the beneficial ingredients (for example, beta-glu- can) remain intact. The reworking step is preferably performed in a relatively low temper-ature, the temperature being between about 0 to about 10 °C, more preferablyabout 2 to about 8 °C. In an embodiment the reworking step (f) is performed using cold extru- sion and wherein the cold extrusion is performed using a cold extrusion equipment comprising at least the following: a barrel, at least one screw inside a barrel which conveys the cooled cheese analogue base along the barrel and kneads the cooled cheese analogue base into a semi-mass, and a die at the discharge end of the barrel through which the semi-mass is forced through to obtain a cold extruded cheese analogue. In an embodiment the vegan cheese analogue is prepared using the fol- lowing steps -providing a liquid oat-base, optionally in which the liquid oat-base hasbeen prepared by a method comprising: i) mixing water and oats to obtain an oat-water mixture ii) enzymatically liquefying the oat-water mixture, optionally wherein the oat content of the liquid oat base is about 8 toabout 10 wt % of the liquid oat-base, preferably about 8 wt% of the liquid oat-base, -optionally lowering the pH of the liquid base by adding acid(s) and / orfermenting, preferably wherein the lowering of the pH is performed by fermenting with lactic acid bacteria, -optionally mixing at least one additional ingredient selected from thegroup consisting of plant-based fat(s), plant-based oil(s), potato derived protein(s),salt, modified and / or native starch, acid(s), aromatic(s), or any mixture thereof,preferably wherein the at least one additional ingredient is selected from the group containing salt, modified starch, native starch, acid(s), aromatics, and any combi- nation thereof, with the liquid base to obtain a cheese analogue base, -optionally heating the liquid base or the cheese analogue base into apasteurizing temperature to obtain a pasteurized cheese analogue base,- cooling the cheese analogue base or the pasteurized cheese analoguebase, optionally in a mould, in a cooling temperature, to obtain a cooled cheese an-alogue base, in which the fat(s) in the cheese analogue base have crystallised andthe starch(es) in the cheese analogue base have formed a starch network, whereinthe cooling is performed in a temperature below about 15 °C, preferably in a tem-perature below about 10 °C, more preferably in a temperature below about 8 °C,and wherein the cooling step lasts for about 24 to about 120 hours, preferably thecooling step lasts for about 72 hours, and- reworking the cooled cheese analogue base to obtain a cheese ana-logue, in which the starch network inside the cheese analogue have been reassem- bled, wherein the reworking method is selected from vacuum filling, and cold ex- trusion, preferably wherein the reworking method is selected from vacuum filling and cold extrusion, more preferably wherein the reworking method is vacuum fill- ing. Provided by the present invention is also a vegan cheese analogue ob-tained from the process described herein.The vegan cheese analogue in question has taste and properties similar to those of the conventional goat cheese. For example, Table 1 illustrates a compar-ison of organoleptic properties of a conventional goat cheese, a reworked vegancheese analogue, and vegan cheese analogue without reworking.Reworked Vegan Vegan Cheese Sensory property Goat CheeseCheese without Reworking Acidity 3,25 3,25 2,50Salty flavour 2,89 3,22 3,11Goat cheese flavour 2,00 3,33 2,67Texture softness 3,89 2,89 1,89Texture elasticity "rubbery" 0,33 1,33 2,00Texture spreadability 3,56 3,17 2,44In an embodiment the vegan cheese analogue comprises the followingingredients: oat base, comprising water and oats, coconut fat, modified starch(es),and potato derived protein(s), and wherein the vegan cheese analogue optionally further comprises one or more of the following: salt, aromatics, lactic acid, glucose syrup, and calcium lactate. In an embodiment of the invention, the vegan cheese analoguecomprises about 40 – 90 wt% liquid oat-base, about 10 – 20 wt% fat, about 5 - 15wt% starch, about 0 - 8 wt% protein, about 0 – 1 wt% lactic acid, about 0 – 1 wt%aromatic(s), and about 0 – 2 wt% salt.It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as the technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The inven- tion and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims. EXAMPLES Example 1 Aliquid oat base was mixed with fat, protein, starch, lactic acid and ar-omatic to form a cheese analogue base. The amounts of each ingredient can be found in Table 2. Table 2 Liquid oat base (oat 8%) 74,51 wt%Fat 11 wt%Starch 11 wt%Protein 1 wt%Lactic acid 0,62 wt%Aromatic 0,87 wt%Salt 1,2 wt%Total 100 wt%The cheese analogue base was then heated to a pasteurising tempera- ture to obtain a pasteurised cheese analogue base. Following this the cheese ana-logue base was cooled in a cooling temperature lower than 8 °C to obtain a cooledcheese analogue base. The cooled cheese analogue base was then subjected to atwo-step vacuum filling process to reassemble the starch network inside the cooledcheese analogue base. As a result, a soft white cheese analogue was obtained. In this example, the used oat base has been treated with enzymes but has not been decanted or homogenized. This process resulted in an oat-based cheese analogue with excellent taste resembling the taste of conventional goat cheese. The consistency of thecheese analogue was soft, slightly sticky, almost spreadable. Example 2 Aliquid oat base was mixed with coconut fat, potato protein, potatostarch, modified starch, lactic acid and aromatic to form a cheese analogue base. The amounts of each ingredient can be found in Table 2. Table 3 Oat-base (oat 8%) 71,51 wt%Fat 12 wt%Potato starch 10,6 wt%Modified starch 2,00 wt%Potato protein 1 wt%Lactic acid 0,62 wt%Aromatic 0,87 wt%Salt 1,4 wt%Total 100 wt%The cheese analogue base was then heated to a pasteurising tempera-ture to obtain a pasteurised cheese analogue base. Following this the cheese ana-logue base was cooled in a cooling temperature lower than 8 °C to obtain a cooledcheese analogue base. The cooled cheese analogue base was then subjected to atwo-step vacuum filling process to reassemble the starch network inside the cooledcheese analogue base. As a result, a soft white cheese analogue was obtained. In this example, the used oat base has been treated with enzymes but has not been decanted or homogenized. The resulting white cheese analogue was soft, less sticky, easy to cut into pieces. The cheese analogue had good melting properties resembling those of conventional goat cheese. Example 3 Aliquid oat base was mixed with coconut fat, potato protein, potatostarch, modified starch, lactic acid and aromatic to form a cheese analogue base. The amounts of each ingredient can be found in Table 4. Table 4 Oat-base (oat 8%) 71,41 wt%Fat 12 wt%Potato starch 10,6 wt%Modified starch 2,00 wt%Potato protein 1,0 wt%Lactic acid 0,65 wt%Aromatic 0,97 wt%Salt 1,40 wt%Total 100 wt%The cheese analogue base was then heated to a pasteurising tempera- ture to obtain a pasteurised cheese analogue base. Following this the cheese ana-logue base was cooled in a cooling temperature lower than 8 °C to obtain a cooledcheese analogue base. The cooled cheese analogue base was then subjected to atwo-step vacuum filling process to reassemble the starch network inside the cooledcheese analogue base. In this example, the used oat base has been treated with enzymes but has not been decanted or homogenized. As a result, a soft white cheese analogue was obtained. The cheese ana-logue obtained through this process had excellent texture, structure and meltabil- ity. The structure was noticeably different from the other cheese analogues in the market. The cheese analogue was easy to cut and did not crumble easily. The taste resembled the taste of conventional goat cheese. Example 4 In example 4, the method of preparing the cheese analogue was carried out as in the previous example except for a reworking step, which was skipped al- together. The amount of ingredients used were as shown in Table 5.Liquid oat base (oat 10%) 80%Fat 9,3% Starch 8,3%Potato protein 0,70%Salt 1 %Lactic acid <0,5%The resulting cheese analogue crumbled more easily, was denser, andhad milder taste in comparison to the cheese analogues obtained by the method which included the reworking step. Based on this, it is clear that the reworking step has a remarkable effect on the properties of the produced cheese analogue.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A method for preparing a vegan cheese analogue, the method com- prising, (a) providing a liquid base, (b) optionally mixing at least one additional ingredient selected from the group consisting of plant-based fat(s), plant-based oil(s), potato derived pro-tein(s), oat derived protein(s), salt, native or modified starch(es), acid(s), aro-matic(s), and any mixture thereof with the liquid base to obtain a cheese analoguebase, (c) heating the liquid base of step (a) or the cheese analogue base of step(b) into a pasteurizing temperature to obtain a pasteurized cheese analogue base,(d) cooling the pasteurized cheese analogue base, optionally in a mould,in a cooling temperature, to obtain a cooled cheese analogue base, in which thefat(s) in the cheese analogue base have crystallised and the starch(es) in the cheeseanalogue base have formed a starch network, (e) reworking the cooled cheese analogue base to obtain a cheese ana-logue, in which the starch network inside the cheese analogue have been reassem- bled, wherein the liquid base is a liquid oat base, wherein the cheese analogue base contains 40 to 90 wt% of liquid oat-base, and wherein the oat content of the liquid oat base is from 5 to 15 wt%.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further com-prises lowering the pH of the liquid base by adding acid(s) and / or fermenting withlactic acid bacteria before or after adding additional ingredients and / or heating.

3. The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein theliquid base further comprises ingredients from the group consisting of nut milk,legume-based milk, water, soy milk, and any combination thereof.

4. The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein thecooling temperature is below 15 °C, preferably below 10 °C, more preferably below8 °C.

5. The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein thepasteurized cheese analogue base is cooled for 1 to 120 hours, preferably for 24 to120 hours, more preferably 72 hours.

6. The method according to any one of the previous claims wherein thereworking of the cooled cheese analogue base is performed using vacuum filleringor cold extrusion.

7. The method according to any one of the previous claims wherein thereworking step (f) is performed as follows: i) the cooled cheese analogue base is inserted into a reworking unit,ii) the cooled cheese analogue base is conveyed and kneaded by in thereworking unit to break the original cheese analogue structure,iii) optionally the product is processed continuously to obtain a homog- enous and defined processed cheese analogue mass without entrapped air, iv) the processed cheese analogue mass proceeds to an evacuation unit where it is forced through an opening to obtain an extruded cheese analogue mass, and v) optionally the extruded cheese analogue mass is clipped,to obtain the cheese analogue, in which the starch network inside thecheese analogue has been reassembled.

8. The method of any one of the previous claims, wherein step ii) is car-ried out using a vacuum filling equipment comprising one or more screws whichconvey and knead the cooled cheese analogue base.

9. The method of any one of claims any one of the previous claims, wherein the reworking step (f) is performed using cold extrusion and wherein the cold extrusion is performed using a cold extrusion equipment comprising at leastthe following: a barrel, at least one screw inside a barrel which conveys the cooledcheese analogue base along the barrel and kneads the cooled cheese analogue baseinto a semi-mass, and a die at the discharge end of the barrel through which the semi-mass is forced through to obtain a cold extruded cheese analogue.

10. The method according to any one of the previous claims, whereinthe reworking of the cooled cheese analogue base is performed in a temperaturebetween 0 to 10 °C, preferably in a temperature between 2 to 6 °C.

11. A vegan cheese analogue obtained by the method of any one of theprevious claims, wherein the vegan cheese analogue comprises 40 – 90 wt% liquidoat-base, 10 – 20 wt% fat, 5 - 15 wt% starch, 0 - 8 wt% protein, 0 – 1 wt% lacticacid, 0 – 1 wt% aromatic(s), and 0 – 2 wt% salt, wherein the oat content in theliquid oat-base is between 5 to 15 wt%.

12. The vegan cheese analogue of claim 11, wherein the vegan cheeseanalogue comprises the following ingredients: an oat base comprising water andoats, coconut fat, modified starch(es), and potato derived protein(s), and whereinthe vegan cheese analogue optionally further comprises one or more of the follow-ing: salt, aromatics, lactic acid, glucose syrup, and calcium lactate.