CREAM-CHEESE-LIKE FOOD PRODUCT AND PRODUCTION METHOD

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a cream-cheese-like, preferably vegan, food product with a strength measured at 10° C. by a texture testing machine, in which a round press plunger with a surface area of 1.27 cm.sup.2 and a speed of 2 mm/s is introduced into a sample, said strength coming from a value range between 0.2 N and 7.0 N, preferably between 0.5 N and 2.5 N, a dry mass weight proportion between 6% and 80% and a total fat weight proportion between 0.92% and 30%, comprising the following steps: producing a pumpable mass based on water and nuts and/or seeds, preferably almonds; and obtaining the food product from the pumpable mass. The invention is characterised in that the pumpable mass is produced by mixing a partially de-oiled flour made from the nuts and/or seeds, preferably almond flour, having a fat weight proportion between 5 and 20 wt. %, with the water and fat, in particular in the form of oil.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A method for producing a cream-cheese-like food product having a firmness corresponding to the maximum force absorption of the force transducer from a value range between 0.2 N and 7.0 N, measured at 10° C. by means of a texture testing machine in which a round press plunger having an area of 1.27 cm.sup.2 is introduced into a sample kept at a temperature of 10° C. for 12 h at a speed of 2 mm/s, a proportion by weight of dry matter between 6% and 60% and a total proportion by weight of fat between 0.92% and 30%, the method comprising the steps of producing a pumpable mass based on water and fat, and nuts and/or seeds; obtaining the food product from the pumpable mass by heating to a temperature from a temperature range between 65° C. and 140° C., and mechanical processing in such a manner that in an insolubilized state, the obtained food product has a particle size distribution which is characterized by a mean particle diameter ×50.3<100 μm, and by at least one peak, at a particle diameter ×3>10 μm, measured in distilled water by means of a laser diffraction spectrometer, the heating step being performed before and/or during the mechanical processing, the pumpable mass is produced by mixing partially de-oiled flour with the water and the fat, without first producing a pasty from seeds and/or nuts, the de-oiled flour being made of the nuts and/or seeds, which has a proportion by weight of fat between 5% by weight and 20% by weight and a water content between 4% by weight and 9% by weight.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the food product is a vegan food product, the food product has a firmness corresponding to the maximum force adsorption of the force transducer from a value range between 0.5 N and 2.5 N, wherein the fat is in the form of oil and the pumpable mass is based on almonds.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the temperature range is between 72° C. and 140° C., the mean particle diameter is between 10 μm and 40 μm and the at least one peak is a global maximum.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein for producing the pumpable mass, the partially de-oiled flour is added in such an amount that the percentage by weight of the partially de-oiled flour in the food product is between 2.63% and 26.26%.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the partially de-oiled flour is almond flour and the percentage by weight of the partially de-oiled flour in the food product is between 5.25% and 10.50% or between 2.63% and 6.50%.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the percentage by weight of the partially de-oiled flour in the food product is between 7.88% and 10.50%.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein the partially de-oiled flour has a particle size distribution which is characterized by a mean particle diameter ×50.3 between 50 μm and 500 μm.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the mean particle diameter ×50.3 is between 50 μm and 150 μm.

24. The method according to claim 16, wherein the added fat consists only of almond oil.

25. The method according to claim 16, wherein the added fat contains almond oil or consists of almond oil, the total proportion of almond oil in the food product thus being between 0.92% by weight and 30.0% by weight, or wherein the added fat does not contain almond oil and the proportion of almond oil resulting from the partially de-oiled almond flour in the food product is between 0.37% by weight and 3.70% by weight.

26. The method according to claim 16, wherein the fat is added in the form of oil and/or is heated during the production of the pumpable mass in such a manner that it is liquid in the pumpable mass.

27. The method according to claim 16, wherein at least a percentage by weight of the added fat is refined and/or filtered and/or bleached and/or deodorized.

28. The method according to claim 16, wherein the heating and/or the mechanical processing is performed in such a manner that the color of the food product is defined in the CIELAB color space with the Cartesian basis coordinates L*, a*, b* according to EN ISO 11664-4:2011 by L*≥80, and/or a* between −3 and +1 and/or b* between −1 and +9 and/or in such a manner that L* is increased by at least 5, by the heating and/or the mechanical processing in the CIELAB color space with the Cartesian coordinates L*, a*, b*, according to EN ISO 11664-4:2011.

29. The method according to claim 16, wherein the partially de-oiled flour does not contain roasted and/or dried nuts and/or seeds.

30. The method according to claim 16, wherein the pH of the food product is set to a value of less than 5.5 and/or from a value range between 4 and 5.4.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the pH of the food product is set by acidifying the pumpable mass before and/or during and/or after the heating.

32. The method according to claim 16, wherein sugar having a percentage by weight between 0.1% and 15% in relation to the total weight of the pumpable mass is added for setting a desired flavor profile.

33. A food product obtained by a method according to claim 16, wherein, in an insolubilized state, the cream-cheese-like food product has a particle size distribution which is characterized by a particle size distribution having a mean particle diameter ×50.3<100 μm, and by at least one peak, at a particle diameter ×3>10 μm, measured in distilled water by means of a laser diffraction spectrometer, and wherein, in a partially solubilized state which is obtained by mixing one part by weight of the food product with nine parts by weight of an SDS-EDTA-solution (0.25% SDS, 0.25% EDTA), and wherein the food product has a firmness corresponding to the maximum force absorption of the force transducer from a value range between 0.2 N and 7.0 N measured at 10° C. by means of a texture testing machine in which a round press plunger with an area of 1.27 cm.sup.2 is introduced into a sample kept at a temperature of 10° C. for 12 h at a speed of 2 mm/s, and wherein the proportion by weight of dry matter is between 6% and 60% and the total proportion by weight of fat is between 0.92% and 30%, wherein the food product contains partially de-oiled flour from nuts and/or seeds having a percentage by weight between 2.63% and 26.26%.

34. The food product according to claim 33, wherein the food product contains refined and/or filtered and/or bleached and/or deodorized fat.

35. The food product according to claim 33, wherein the food product contains only almond oil as a fat or a proportion of non-almond fat in addition to a proportion of almond oil and/or wherein the food product contains only fat from such seeds and/or nuts from which the partially de-oiled flour is produced or wherein, in addition to a proportion of such a fat, the food product contains a proportion of fat from at least one other source.

36. A use of a food product according to claim 33 as a recipe component in an industrially produced food.

37. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the mechanical processing is carried out in such a manner that in a partially solubilized state, which is obtained by mixing one part by weight of the food product with nine parts by weight of an SDS-EDTA-solution (0.25% SDS; 0.25% EDTA), the food product has a particle size distribution which has at least one additional peak at a particle diameter ×3<10 μm compared to the insolubilized state, measured in distilled water by means of a laser diffraction spectrometer.

38. The food product according to claim 33, wherein the food product has a particle size distribution which has at least one additional peak at a particle diameter ×3<10 m compared to the insolubilized state, measured in distilled water by means of a laser diffraction spectrometer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0093] The possible embodiment of a method according to the invention comprising a plurality of optional method steps is explained below on the basis of the block diagram according to FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0094] Ingredients such as fat, oil and/or sugar can optionally be added. If necessary, other ingredients such as thickeners, for example locust bean gum, and/or acidifiers such as citric acid and/or acetic acid can be added to the pumpable mass. An (additional) mixing step III and a heating step IV and a mechanical processing V, preferably a high-pressure homogenization, are then performed. Steps II to IV and, if applicable, steps IV to IX to be explained below or some of these steps can be performed in a cook mixer, for example.

[0095] The amount of water, the amount of fat and the amount of facultative other ingredients is preferably chosen in such a manner that the total proportion by weight of fat is between 0.92% by weight and 30% by weight, in particular between 5% and 30%, more preferably between 15% and 25% and/or that the proportion by weight of dry matter is between 6% and 80%, in particular between 12% and 60%, more preferably between 15% by weight and 40% by weight.

[0096] The heating step must be performed before and/or during the mechanical processing. In any case, the heating and mechanical processing result in a food product according to the invention which is preferably vegan and cream-cheese-like (see D).

[0097] A plurality of optional method steps which are apparent from the block diagram can be realized, preferably after the mechanical processing; said method steps can be performed individually or in any combination and are claimable. For example, a fermentation culture can be added in addition or as an alternative to a previous acid addition after an optional cooling after the mechanical processing in order to acidify the food product, wherein a mixing according to step VII is optionally performed in this case and then an optional fermentation according to step VIII. To inactivate the microorganisms, a heating step IX can then be optionally performed and, if necessary, other ingredients such as salt can then be added. If said other ingredients such as salt are added, an optional mixing is performed in step X.

[0098] If necessary, other or alternative ingredients such as herbs or spices can be added and/or another additional mechanical processing can be performed, for example an additional high-pressure homogenization, if a specific particle/fat distribution is to be achieved.

[0099] The food product is preferably cooled (see step XIV), in particular if this has not yet been done.

[0100] An exemplary recipe/method designed according to the idea of the invention is as follows:

TABLE-US-00002 parameter/ proportion in recipe ingredients [% by weight] water 67.5 almond flour 10.5 almond oil 9.5 total almond 20 coconut oil 11 table salt 0.75 thickener 0.5 acidifier 0.25

[0101] To produce the pumpable mass, salt is generally preferably added, as well as citric acid, and the salt is added in such a quantity that the total proportion by weight of salt in the final food product is 0.75% by weight and the proportion by weight of citric acid is 0.25% by weight.

[0102] The pumpable mass obtained in this way is heated to a temperature of 85° C. in a cook mixer, wherein said temperature is kept for 120 s.

[0103] A two-stage high-pressure homogenization is performed after the heating, wherein the pressure is reduced by 400 bar in the first pressure stage and by 80 bar in the second pressure stage.

[0104] This is followed by a cooling to room temperature, after which cream cheese cultures are added and a fermentation takes place.