Effect of Trisodium Citrate Concentration and Soy Cheese on Meltability of Pizza Cheese

Replacing animal proteins with plant proteins: Is this a way to improve quality and functional properties of hybrid cheeses and cheese analogs?

The growing emphasis on dietary health has facilitated the development of plant-based foods. Plant proteins have excellent functional attributes and health-enhancing effects and are also environmentally conscientious and animal-friendly protein sources on a global scale. The addition of plant proteins (including soy protein, pea protein, zein, nut protein, and gluten protein) to diverse cheese varieties and cheese analogs holds the promise of manufacturing symbiotic products that not only have reduced fat content but also exhibit improved protein diversity and overall quality. In this review, we summarized the utilization and importance of various plant proteins in the production of hybrid cheeses and cheese analogs. Meanwhile, classification and processing methods related to these cheese products were reviewed. Furthermore, the impact of different plant proteins on the microstructure, textural properties, physicochemical attributes, rheological behavior, functional aspects, microbiological aspects, and sensory characteristics of both hybrid cheeses and cheese analogs were discussed and compared. Our study explores the potential for the development of cheeses made from full/semi-plant protein ingredients with greater sustainability and health benefits. Additionally, it further emphasizes the substantial chances for scholars and developers to investigate the optimal processing methods and applications of plant proteins in cheeses, thereby improving the market penetration of plant protein hybrid cheeses and cheese analogs.

Modifications of nutritional, structural, and sensory characteristics of non-dairy soy cheese analogs to improve their quality attributes

In this review, some recognized modifications utilized in the preparation of soy cheese and cheese analogs produced with soymilk are discussed. Soymilk is an inexpensive, nutritive dairy substitute that is used to make cheese and cheese analogs by people worldwide. The components of soy components, including isoflavones, have beneficial health effects that support the amelioration of chronic and degenerative diseases. However, the quality characteristics of such cheeses can be diminished, especially the taste and structure. Its quality is affected by soybean variety, storage temperature, soymilk-processing conditions, stirring speed, coagulation temperature, type of coagulator, and coagulator's concentration ratio. Over the years, researchers have studied to improve soy cheese characteristics by improving its structure, flavor, color, and nutrition quality. Structure of cheese types have been developed, including soft cheeses like tofu and cream cheese types, cheese types with different milk type combinations, soy-paneer, soy-mozzarella, and hard type cheeses. Flavor development has attempted to reduce the unpleasant beany flavor by adding spices and other ingredients, or blending with other milk types. Reduction of lipoxygenases in soymilk helps to reduce rancidity and protect the odor. Color is improved with microbes or colored food ingredients like carrots. Using Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. microbes, probiotic soy cheese types have been developed with improved nutritional quality. Production of soymilk using sprouted and frozen seeds has resulted in nutritionally improved soy cheeses. Soy cheeses and their analogs act as functional foods and improvements to these cheeses upgrade their values and consumer acceptance.

Yield and Textural Characteristics of Panela Cheeses Produced with Dairy-Vegetable Protein (Soybean or Peanut) Blends Supplemented with Transglutaminase

The study evaluated panela cheeses made from dairy-plant protein blends, using soybean or peanut protein isolates, supplemented with transglutaminase (TG). Plant proteins were isolated using an alkaline extraction method followed by acid precipitation, and added to the dairy system in order to increase 50% or 100% the protein concentration. The total protein extraction for peanut and soybean isolates was 30.3% and 54.6%, respectively (based on initial protein content of sources), and no impairment of their essential amino acid profile was detected. Cheeses supplemented with TG and soybean showed the highest moisture and crude yield (>67.8% and 20.7%, respectively), whereas protein content was higher in the peanut isolate--added samples without TG (>67.4%). Cheese solids yield (ratio between final and initial solids) was higher for treatments with TG and 100% of plant protein addition (>50.7%). Regarding texture, 4 parameters were measured: hardness, cohesiveness, chewiness, and springiness. All cheeses containing soybean isolates and TG presented the highest chewiness and cohesiveness values, similar to those of the control treatment. Springiness was similar for all treatments, but hardness was higher in cheeses prepared with the peanut protein isolate added with TG. From these results it can be concluded that panela cheeses can be elaborated following a traditional procedure, but with the addition of soybean or peanut protein to the dairy ingredients. Cheeses containing these protein isolates showed higher protein than the milk control cheese and similar textural characteristics.