Legume Milk Fermentation for Plant-Based Cheese Texture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing plant-based soft cheese alternatives struggle to achieve a texture and taste similar to dairy cheeses on a large scale, often requiring complex processes, expensive raw materials, and environmental concerns due to soy cultivation, which limits industrial scalability and consumer affordability.
Innovation Solution
A method involving legume milk with specific composition ranges of legume proteins, fat, and sugars, fermented with acidifying agents like lactic or thermophilic bacteria, eliminating the need for texturing agents, coagulating enzymes, or salts, to produce a soft cheese equivalent with a simplified ingredient list and process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If soy proteins are used to produce plant-based cheese equivalents, then the product can be manufactured at lower cost and higher volume, but the typical aftertaste of soy beans cannot be completely removed and soy cultivation causes ecosystem imbalances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the protein source parameter from soy to a combination of pea and faba bean proteins, while adjusting the fat content and ratio parameters to achieve the desired texture and flavor profile without soy aftertaste
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite protein system combining pea protein and faba bean protein in specific ratios, along with vegetable fats, to create a plant-based cheese equivalent that achieves dairy-like texture and flavor without relying on soy
2Shape
If nut milk (cashew, macadamia, almond) is used to manufacture soft cheese equivalents, then the product has a cheese-like texture, but the raw material is very expensive and not available in large amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive nut-based raw materials with more affordable and widely available legume proteins (pea and faba bean), making the production process economically viable for large-scale manufacturing while maintaining acceptable texture quality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts the protein source parameter from nuts to legumes and optimizes the fat-to-protein ratio to achieve the desired creamy texture and mouthfeel characteristic of soft cheeses
3Shape
If texturing agents, coagulating enzymes, or salts are added to achieve cheese-like texture, then the desired texture is obtained, but the ingredient list becomes complex and the process more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the legume protein-fat mixture to self-coagulate through fermentation by lactic acid bacteria, eliminating the need for external coagulating agents such as enzymes or salts, and achieving texture formation through the natural acidification process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes texturing agents, coagulating enzymes, and salts from the ingredient list, relying instead on the intrinsic properties of legume proteins and the fermentation process to achieve the desired cheese-like texture
4Object-generated harmful factors
If fermentation processes are used to improve taste and texture, then the product becomes more appealing, but the production time increases and the process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a controlled fermentation process with specific lactic acid bacteria strains to achieve the necessary acidification and flavor development in an optimized time frame, balancing taste improvement with production efficiency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the production of soft cheese equivalents with a texture and taste similar to dairy cheeses, reducing ingredient complexity, enhancing scalability, and addressing environmental concerns by using legume proteins, resulting in a cost-effective and sustainable product.
Implementation Method 1
adding at least one acidifying ferment; fermenting the legume milk comprising said at least one acidifying ferment
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing a legume-based soft cheese equivalent, to the use of a legume-based liquid composition for preparing a soft cheese equivalent and to a soft cheese equivalent.