SLICEABLE SOLID

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of the food industry; it is aimed more particularly at the preparation of food products, sliceable solids, composed of vegetable ingredients and having organoleptic properties close to those of dairy products.

Claims

1. A vegetable food product analogous to unrefined solid cheeses, comprising: crushed nuts, added with: at least one vegetable fat; at least one source of starch; at least one natural acidifying ingredient; optionally, at least one source of vegetable food fibres; and water; wherein the vegetable food product contains no added additives.

2. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable food product has a protein content greater than or equal to 3%.

3. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, not comprising protein concentrate and/or isolate.

4. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, wherein the crushed nuts are further added with ferments.

5. The vegetable food product according to claim 1 not comprising soybean.

6. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, further comprising (percentages expressed by weight with respect to the total weight of the product): from 5 to 40% of crushed nut puree; from 5 to 35% of vegetable fat; from 0.5% to 20% of a starch source; up to 30% of other raw materials, including vegetable or fruit purees or pieces, cereals, seeds or herbs, aromas; up to 8% of vegetable food fibres; optionally, a natural source of calcium; up to 3.5% of a natural acidifying ingredient; up to 2.5% of food salt; optionally, up to 1% of ferments; and between 40% and 75% of water.

7. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable food product has: a dry extract content of between 20 and 55%; a pH between 4.0 and 5.2; characteristics of a cheese product, including a white to yellow color, a more or less smooth appearance, a more or less firm and/or deformable rheology and/or a fresh to cheesy taste.

8. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, wherein the nut is almond.

9. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, wherein the starch source is a rice flour and/or a potato or cassava fecula.

10. The vegetable food product according to claim 9, wherein the rice flour is pregelatinized.

11. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable food fibres are selected from soluble fibres, including chicory fibres, resistant dextrins and psyllium or other mucilaginous fibres including linseed or chia seed fibres, and mixtures thereof.

12. A method for preparing the vegetable food product according to claim 1, comprising the following steps: A) optionally, preparing a fermented vegetable raw material by fermentation of a part or all of crushed nuts, in their rehydrated and thermally treated form prior to the inoculation of the ferments; B) mixing of the raw materials, comprising the fermented vegetable raw material obtained in the step A), via a vigorous shearing, and optionally preheating; C) thermal treating the mixture at a temperature between 75 and 90° C. for 1 to 10 minutes under vigorous shearing; D) optional degassing and optional homogenizing; E) optionally, whipping; F) optionally, adding other raw materials, including vegetable; wherein the steps E) and F) can be reversed; G) hot dosing at a temperature above 70° C. the finished product in its packaging or in an intermediate container; H) cooling between 4 and 10° C.; Optionally, in the case of a dosing in an intermediate container: (I) adding other aromatic raw materials and/or ferments, including vegetable; J) extruding/molding the cooled curd to form the finished product; and K) coating for a visual or organoleptic purpose.

13. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, wherein the crushed nuts are in the form of a puree

14. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable food product has between 3 and 12% protein.

15. The vegetable food product according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable food product has between 4 and 10% protein.

16. The vegetable food product according to claim 2, not comprising protein concentrate and/or isolate.

17. The vegetable food product according to claim 4, wherein the crushed nuts are in the form of an almond puree, and wherein the at least one natural acidifying ingredient is concentrated lemon juice;

18. The vegetable food product according to claim 6, wherein the natural source of calcium is of the Lithothamnion type, at a content of between 0.5 and 1%, and wherein the natural acidifying ingredient is concentrated lemon juice;

19. The vegetable food product according to claim 2 not comprising soybean.

20. The vegetable food product according to claim 3 not comprising soybean.

Description

FIGURES

[0254] FIG. 1 is a photograph of the product of example 1 which is an non-whipped feta analog;

[0255] FIG. 2 is a photograph of the product of example 2 which is an unrefined goat log analog;

[0256] FIG. 3 is a photograph of the product of example 3 which is a mozzarella analog;

[0257] FIG. 4 is a photograph of the product of example 4 which is a pressed dough slices analog.

EXAMPLES

[0258] Example 1: Feta analog: Water 51.05%, Almond puree 16%, Copra 16%, starch 9.7%, rice flour 4%, salt 1.8%, concentrated lemon juice 1.2%, natural aromas 0.25%

[0259] The method comprises the steps (A)-B-C-D-(F)-G-H. The steps indicated in the examples in brackets are optional.

[0260] As described in the document, an alternative is to eliminate the homogenization step (D) and/or to add a whipping step (E) to gain friability/heterogeneity and get even closer to a crumbly dairy feta texture.

[0261] In a variant of the formula, a preparation based on almond puree (15%) and water (85%) can be inoculated and fermented with strains known to the person skilled in the art to provide animal notes, during the step A. This fermented and aromatized vegetable material can be incorporated during the step B up to 2 to 30% in the final mixture to replace a part of the almond puree and water to remain at equivalent physicochemistry with a non-fermented version. The nutritional values of the product in Example 1 are shown in Table 2:

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 2 Content per 100 g Energy (kcal) 298 Protein 5.2 Carbohydrates 12 Of which sugars 1 Lipids 24 Of which 15 Saturated Fatty Acids Fibres 1

[0262] The addition of ingredients such as herbs or spices is a variation of this Nature formula, these ingredients being added in the step F.

[0263] The steps B) and C) can carried out in particular with a Stephan or Karl-Schnell type cooker.

[0264] Example 2: Unrefined goat log analog: Water 58.5%, almond puree 13%, copra 14%, starch 6.5%, rice flour 5%, concentrated lemon juice 1.5%, salt 1.1%, natural aroma 0.4%. 2 dosing types can be considered: [0265] Dosing in a hot mold, cooling and demolding/packaging according to the following method:

[0266] (A)-B-C-D-(F)-G-H [0267] Dosing of the product in barrel/pocket, cooling of the curd and cold forming in a molding machine to form a log/bag and packaging according to the following method:

[0268] (A)-B-C-D-G-H-(I)-J-(K).

[0269] In a variant of the formula, a preparation based on almond puree (10%), copra oil (2%) and water (88%) can be inoculated and fermented with strains known to the person skilled in the art to generate goat notes, during the step A. This fermented and aromatized vegetable material can be incorporated during the step B up to 2 to 30% in the final mixture to replace a part of the almond puree, copra oil and water to remain at equivalent physicochemistry with a non-fermented version.

[0270] Example 3: Mozzarella analog: 65.6% water, 13.2% almond puree, 9% copra, 5% fecula, 1.5% rice flour, 3.4% fibres, 1% salt, 1% concentrated lemon juice, 0.3% natural aroma. The method comprises the following steps: (A)-B-C-D-(F)-G-H

[0271] Example 4: Pressed dough analog: 48.9% water, 19% almond, 14% copra, 13% fecula, 2.5% psyllium, 1.3% salt, 1.1% concentrated lemon juice, 0.2% natural aroma, 0.2% yeast extract. You can add a coloring ingredient to bring a slight yellow note. The method comprises the following steps: (A)-B-C-D-(F)-G-H

[0272] The product dosed in block after being cooled and textured can then be sliced according to methods known to the person skilled in the art.

[0273] In a variant of the formula, a preparation based on almond puree (10%) and water (90%) can be inoculated and fermented with strains known to the person skilled in the art to provide cheese notes, for example of the propionic or umami type, during the step A. This fermented and aromatized vegetable material can be incorporated during the step B up to 2 to 30% in the final mixture to replace a part of the almond puree and water to remain at equivalent physicochemistry with a non-fermented version.

[0274] Example 5: Melted Toastinette analogs (which may also be known as individually wrapped slices (IWS) or slice on slice (SOS)):

[0275] 51.6% water, 16% almond puree, 15% rapeseed oil, 10% fecula, 4.6% fibres (psyllium and inulin), 1.3% salt, 1.1% concentrated lemon juice, 0.3% natural aroma, 0.1% coloring ingredient. The method comprises the following steps: (A)-B-C-D-(F)-G-H.

[0276] The product being cooled and textured can then be sliced using methods known to the person skilled in the art.

[0277] Example 6: Portions of melted cheese analogs: 57% water, 14% almond puree, 17% copra, 3% rice flour, 6% potato starch, 1% inulin, 1% concentrated lemon juice, 0.8% salt, 0.2% natural aroma. The method comprises the steps: (A)-B-C-D-(F)-G-H.

[0278] In a variant of the formula, a preparation based on almond puree (20%) and water (80%) can be inoculated and fermented with strains known to the person skilled in the art in order to provide buttery, creamy or yoghurt-type dairy notes during the step A. This fermented and aromatized vegetable material can be incorporated during the step B up to 2 to 30% in the final mixture to replace a part of the almond puree and water to remain at equivalent physicochemistry with a non-fermented version.

[0279] Example 7: Sweet snack type: 40% water, 11% almond puree, 13% copra, 3.9% rice flour, 4% starch, 9% sugar, 0.1% concentrated lemon juice, 19% fruit puree (raspberry). The method comprises the steps: (A)-B-C-D-(F)-G-H.

[0280] Example 8: Unrefined Soft Dough analog: 12.7% water, 63.5% fermented almond milk (79.95% water, 20% almond puree, 0.05% lactic ferments), 12% dearomatized cocoa butter, 8% rice flour, 0.9% NaCl, 2.5% vegetable fiber, 0.2% natural aromas, 0.2% concentrated lemon juice. The method comprises the steps: (A)-B-C-D-G-H-K.

[0281] Example 9: Rheological characterization of the sliceable solids

[0282] Various finished products (dairy cheeses and products according to the invention) were sliced using an Instron universal traction-compression machine equipped with a knife-shaped geometry. It descends rapidly (10 mm/s) into the product to a distance of 20 mm in order to reproduce a slicing operation as it might be performed by a consumer. The maximum force at the end of the displacement, expressed in Newton (N), is the average of three measurements and is shown in Table 3.

TABLE-US-00004 Product Force (N) Dairy feta 1 29 Dairy feta 2 38 Example 1 - Feta analog 37 Dairy goat log 1 41 Example 2 35 Dairy Mozzarella 1 12 Example 3 10 Dairy pressed dough 1 92 Dairy pressed dough 2 150 Example 4 110

[0283] The slicing forces of the products according to the invention mentioned in the examples are of the same order of magnitude as those of the dairy referents. The slicing resistance can be modulated as required by adjusting the formulation and manufacturing method parameters.