The present invention relates to the use of a fermented plant material; a fermented seaweed material or a combined fermented plant material and fermented seaweed material for the preparation of a meat analogue.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vegetable milk fermented food product having a creamy mouthfeel and having the same smoothness as yogurt, the vegetable milk fermented food product being such that it is possible to user EPS-producing bacteria of a wider variety of types irrespective of whether said bacteria have α-galactosidase activity. A method for manufacturing a vegetable milk fermented food product by inoculating a vegetable-milk-containing fermented raw material with lactic acid bacteria and prompting lactic acid fermentation to occur, wherein the method for manufacturing a vegetable milk fermented food product is characterized in comprising: A) a decomposition step in which α-galactosidase is caused to act on vegetable milk to which a saccharide including galactose bonded by an α-glycoside bond has been added as a constituent sugar, or on vegetable milk containing said saccharide, and the saccharide is hydrolyzed; and B) a fermentation step, performed after or simultaneously with the decomposition step, in which the hydrolyzed saccharide is fermented by lactic acid bacteria having extracellular-polysaccharide-producing capabilities.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vegetable milk fermented food product having a creamy mouthfeel and having the same smoothness as yogurt, the vegetable milk fermented food product being such that it is possible to user EPS-producing bacteria of a wider variety of types irrespective of whether said bacteria have α-galactosidase activity. A method for manufacturing a vegetable milk fermented food product by inoculating a vegetable-milk-containing fermented raw material with lactic acid bacteria and prompting lactic acid fermentation to occur, wherein the method for manufacturing a vegetable milk fermented food product is characterized in comprising: A) a decomposition step in which α-galactosidase is caused to act on vegetable milk to which a saccharide including galactose bonded by an α-glycoside bond has been added as a constituent sugar, or on vegetable milk containing said saccharide, and the saccharide is hydrolyzed; and B) a fermentation step, performed after or simultaneously with the decomposition step, in which the hydrolyzed saccharide is fermented by lactic acid bacteria having extracellular-polysaccharide-producing capabilities.

The present disclosure provides a composite material comprising fungal mycelium and plant seeds, said fungal mycelium is of a non-toxic fungus, and is in a form of a filamentous mass occupying spaces between neighboring seeds, the seeds being essentially fixed in place and essentially evenly distributed within the mass wherein said composite material is visco-elastic, characterized by a delta (δ) angle of between 8 and 20 when determined using an oscillation test at 25° C., and a complex shear strain of at least 0.6% and frequency of 1.00 Hz. Also provided by the present disclosure is a process for obtaining the composite material, the process comprises incubating fungal mycelium, from at least one non-toxic fungus, on a substrate comprising water saturated plant seeds, said incubation comprises solid-state fermentation (SSF) conditions, wherein said incubation of the plant seeds is at a density of less than about 0.3 gr/cm3 and for at least 55 hours. The composite material can be a food product or can be a food ingredient.

The present disclosure provides a composite material comprising fungal mycelium and plant seeds, said fungal mycelium is of a non-toxic fungus, and is in a form of a filamentous mass occupying spaces between neighboring seeds, the seeds being essentially fixed in place and essentially evenly distributed within the mass wherein said composite material is visco-elastic, characterized by a delta (δ) angle of between 8 and 20 when determined using an oscillation test at 25° C., and a complex shear strain of at least 0.6% and frequency of 1.00 Hz. Also provided by the present disclosure is a process for obtaining the composite material, the process comprises incubating fungal mycelium, from at least one non-toxic fungus, on a substrate comprising water saturated plant seeds, said incubation comprises solid-state fermentation (SSF) conditions, wherein said incubation of the plant seeds is at a density of less than about 0.3 gr/cm3 and for at least 55 hours. The composite material can be a food product or can be a food ingredient.

Provided herein are methods for producing an adzuki bean protein isolate having high functionality for a broad range of food applications. In some embodiments, the methods for producing the isolate comprise one or more steps selected from: (a) extracting one or more adzuki bean proteins from an adzuki bean protein source in an aqueous solution, for example, at a pH between about 6.5-10.0; (b) purifying protein from the extract using at least one of two methods: (i) precipitating protein from the extract at a pH near the isoelectric point of a globulin-rich fraction, for example a pH between about 5.0-6.0; and/or (ii) fractionating and concentrating protein from the extract using filtration such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration or ion-exchange chromatography; and (c) recovering purified protein isolate.

Provided herein are methods for producing an adzuki bean protein isolate having high functionality for a broad range of food applications. In some embodiments, the methods for producing the isolate comprise one or more steps selected from: (a) extracting one or more adzuki bean proteins from an adzuki bean protein source in an aqueous solution, for example, at a pH between about 6.5-10.0; (b) purifying protein from the extract using at least one of two methods: (i) precipitating protein from the extract at a pH near the isoelectric point of a globulin-rich fraction, for example a pH between about 5.0-6.0; and/or (ii) fractionating and concentrating protein from the extract using filtration such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration or ion-exchange chromatography; and (c) recovering purified protein isolate.

A modulated protein composition is described with improved flavor properties over a vegetable protein. Methods of making a modulated protein composition including the use of a volatile modulating yeast culture to ferment a vegetable protein to produce the modulated protein composition are described. Also disclosed are a fermented vegetable composition made from a modulated protein composition, and ingredients and foods including a fermented vegetable composition or a modulated protein composition.

A modulated protein composition is described with improved flavor properties over a vegetable protein. Methods of making a modulated protein composition including the use of a volatile modulating yeast culture to ferment a vegetable protein to produce the modulated protein composition are described. Also disclosed are a fermented vegetable composition made from a modulated protein composition, and ingredients and foods including a fermented vegetable composition or a modulated protein composition.

A method for producing a fermented liquid having an acidity of pH 3 to 4, including colloidal particles having a particle size not exceeding 50 nm and short-chain fatty acids. The method includes providing fermentation apparatus including a plurality set of temperature-controlled fermentation containers at each stage of the multi-stage fermentation process; using a soft water as a starter, a seed bacterial liquid comprising seven species of fermentation bacteria (International Accession No. NITE BP-02945 to NITE BP-02951) including spore-forming Clostridium bacteria, controlled under a low temperature condition, and three kinds of fermented media derived from natural materials, produced by individually fermenting respective first medium of dried soybeans, second medium of mixed medium of dried plants consisting Taiso, Kukoshi, and Ukon, and third material of honey material; and producing the fermented liquid by multi-stage fermentation process.