The present invention provides plant-based dairy substitutes and methods thereof. Those substitutes may be a cheese substitute, a yogurt substitute, a coffee creamer substitute and more. The present invention discloses a plant cell culture, preferably, carrot cells, which expresses transgenic casein proteins. This unique casein-expressing culture is then transformed into a slurry, which serves as the platform for the production of the plant-based dairy substitutes. Furthermore, those dairy substitutes are highly nutritious, as they contain beneficial ingredients derived from the plant cells (such as beta-carotene) in addition to high protein (casein) content. The application of carrot cell slurry containing casein proteins to those dairy substitutes provides organoleptic and physicochemical properties enhanced or similar to conventional dairy products. The carrot cells expressing casein proteins can be conserved in a powder form, as the plant cells successfully encapsulate the casein proteins, thus protecting them from physicochemical conditions, such as spray drying.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a cheese-based food product, advantageously a cheese, cheese specialty, or cheese substitute, the method including: a) a step A) of providing at least one flavoring matrix, the consistency of which ranges from liquid to pasty, the flavoring matrix resulting from a step of cultivating at least one flavor producing microorganism in a culture medium, the step A) also providing a texture matrix, the consistency of which ranges from liquid to pasty, the texture matrix being suitable for providing the texture of the food product; then b) a step B) of mixing the at least one flavoring matrix with the at least one texture matrix; then c) a texturing step C), during which the mixture from mixing step B is subjected to physiochemical texturing conditions that are adjusted according to the final texture sought for the cheese-based food product.

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a cheese-based food product, advantageously a cheese, cheese specialty, or cheese substitute, the method including: a) a step A) of providing at least one flavoring matrix, the consistency of which ranges from liquid to pasty, the flavoring matrix resulting from a step of cultivating at least one flavor producing microorganism in a culture medium, the step A) also providing a texture matrix, the consistency of which ranges from liquid to pasty, the texture matrix being suitable for providing the texture of the food product; then b) a step B) of mixing the at least one flavoring matrix with the at least one texture matrix; then c) a texturing step C), during which the mixture from mixing step B is subjected to physiochemical texturing conditions that are adjusted according to the final texture sought for the cheese-based food product.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a proteo-oleaginous-based fermented food product and the product obtained by said method. The product is characterized by an origin that may be 100% plant-based and, in particular, without any dairy or animal products and, therefore, particularly suitable for people who follow a vegetarian or lactose-free diet. The method comprises steps of grinding, coagulation, fermentation, salting, and refining a proteo-oleaginous product.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a proteo-oleaginous-based fermented food product and to the product obtained by means of this method. The product is characterized by an origin that may be 100% plant-based, and in particular free of dairy or animal product and therefore perfectly suitable for individuals on a lactose-free or vegan diet. The method comprises steps of grinding and/or homogenizing, of mixing with ferments, of incubating, and optionally of salting.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for producing colored tofu, the method comprising a step of preparing a liquid dispersion constituted by a colorant and a paste or powder of vegetables or fruit uniformly dispersed in sugar alcohol or a dilute aqueous solution thereof; a step of preparing a liquid soy milk mixture by uniformly mixing the liquid dispersion, soy milk, and a coagulating agent; and a step of coagulating the liquid soy milk mixture to produce tofu.

Contained, herein, are processes that may be used to produce and compositions of plant-based curd products. Methods for producing plant-based curd products may include providing a material comprising at least 10% whole oilseed material by dry weight, curdling the material to form a plant-based curd and a plant-based whey, and removing or separating at least a portion of the plant-based whey from the plant-based curd to generate the plant-based curd product. Curdling the material may include thermally induced coagulation, introduction of a coagulating agent, or a combination thereof. Plant-based curd products may be used in plant-based yogurts, cheeses, fermented products, or any combination thereof.

The present invention relates to a food product composed of vegetable ingredients having visual, textural and flavour properties of a soft fermented cheese.

An isolated plant protein comprising both native and denatured proteins, food compositions containing such isolates, and methods for preparing isolated plant protein are disclosed. In some embodiments, the hardness and gel elasticity of the isolated plant protein can be controlled by controlling the amounts of native protein and denatured protein present in the plant protein isolate.

Systems and methods for preparing plant-based cheese comprise preparing a plant-based cheese mixture, transferring the plant-based to a heat exchanger, heat treating* and cooling the plant-based mixture, dynamically mixing additional ingredients, possible homogenizing the plant-based cheese mixture, and packaging the homogenized plant-based cheese product. In embodiments, heat treatment can occur between 85-95° C. and cooling occurs at 65-70° C. Homogenization can occur before or after heat treatment. A related cheese making apparatus is also disclosed.