CN118058385A

CN118058385A - Method for preparing a base for plant-based food, base prepared therefrom and plant-based food comprising the base

Info

Publication number: CN118058385A
Application number: CN202211477133.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 季国志; 李晓敏; 董阳; 费雅君
Original assignee: Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-11-23
Filing date: 2022-11-23
Publication date: 2024-05-24
Also published as: WO2024108824A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a base for a plant-based food, a base prepared therefrom, and a plant-based food comprising the base. The method for preparing a base material for plant-based food comprises the steps of: (a) Mixing and dispersing vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid and a solvent to obtain mixed slurry; (b) Performing solid-liquid separation, preferably by centrifugation, from the mixed slurry obtained in step (a); (c) Removing all or part of the solvent from the solid product obtained in step (b) to obtain the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof.

Description

Method for preparing a base for plant-based food, base prepared therefrom and plant-based food comprising the base

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of plant-based food products, and in particular to a method for preparing a base material for plant-based food products, a base material prepared therefrom, and a plant-based food product comprising the base material.

Background

The plant-based food is a novel food mainly derived from plants and using plant proteins instead of animal proteins. With consumer lifestyle changes, increased awareness of sustainable development and increased levels of lactose intolerance, there is an increasing market demand for plant-based foods, especially plant-based dairy products.

At present, plant-based dairy products mainly adopt plant raw materials containing protein, such as soybeans, almonds and the like, and the protein is extracted from the plant raw materials through processing and then the plant-based dairy products are prepared into dairy-like products.

However, the existing plant-based dairy products have strong flavor characteristics of the plant-based raw materials (for example, soybean taste, pea taste, oat taste, almond taste, walnut taste, etc.), and cannot completely simulate cow dairy products in terms of smell, taste, mouthfeel, etc.

In the prior art, methods for eliminating the bad flavors of plant-based dairy products mainly comprise: 1. by improving raw materials, new beans with missing lipoxygenase are discovered and cultivated; 2. inactivating or inactivating the lipoxygenase activity during processing by physical, chemical or biological means; 3. the undesirable flavors are eliminated or masked by vacuum deodorization and the addition of flavor masking substances at the final stage of the soy milk processing.

The common method of physical method in production and processing is heat treatment method, including dry heat method, wet heat method, scalding method, hot grinding method, etc., and the aim of reducing beany flavor is achieved by heating to inhibit or denature and inactivate lipoxygenase. However, excessive heat treatment can cause protein denaturation, browning of the product, and thus affect the nutritional value of the soy milk.

The chemical method comprises an acid-base treatment method, an antioxidant or reducing agent adding method, a metal chelating agent adding method and the like, and mainly inhibits the activity of the lipoxygenase by adjusting the pH value, breaking disulfide bonds and sulfhydryl groups of the lipoxygenase molecules and complexing iron ions.

Biological methods include enzymatic and fermentation methods. The peculiar smell is eliminated mainly by adding a proper amount of protease or a starter into the soybean milk.

However, the existing methods are not effective in eliminating the self-flavor of plants or the bad flavor generated during the processing.

Accordingly, there remains a need to provide a simple preparation process that effectively eliminates the characteristic flavor of the plant-based raw material itself (i.e., the flavor characteristics of the plant-based raw material itself, such as beany flavor, cereal flavor, oil flavor, nut flavor, etc.), and mimics dairy products in terms of odor, taste, mouthfeel, etc.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems.

According to one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for preparing a base for plant-based food products, comprising the steps of:

(a) Mixing and dispersing vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid and a solvent to obtain mixed slurry;

(b) Performing solid-liquid separation, preferably by centrifugation, from the mixed slurry obtained in step (a);

(c) Removing all or part of the solvent from the solid product obtained in step (b) to obtain the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof.

The method further comprises compounding the treated vegetable protein or concentrate thereof with fat, carbohydrate, water, and optionally adjuvants, in a composition to obtain a compounded composition:

a treated vegetable protein or concentrate thereof in an amount of 1% to 6%, preferably 2% to 5%, more preferably 2.5% to 4% based on the protein content of the vegetable protein in the compounded composition;

fat, which represents 1% to 10%, preferably 2% to 5%, more preferably 3% to 4.5% of the compounded composition;

Carbohydrates, which constitute 0.5-10%, preferably 1% -5%, more preferably 1.5% -3.5% of the compounded composition;

Adjuvants, which account for 0-15%, preferably 0.1% -10%, more preferably 0.3% -0.5% in the compounded composition;

the balance of water,

The above percentages are based on the total weight of the compounded composition.

According to a further aspect, the invention relates to a base material obtainable by the above-described method.

According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a plant based food product comprising said base.

The inventors have unexpectedly found that when vegetable proteins are treated with a specific solvent and the solvent-treated vegetable proteins are formulated into a base stock in a specific formulation, the resulting base stock has significantly reduced plant-based characteristic flavors (e.g., beany, cereal, oil, nut, etc.), which are more closely related to dairy products overall. The base material is very suitable for being applied to the production of a plurality of plant-based foods such as plant milk, plant-based yoghurt, plant cheese, plant milk powder, plant-based ice cream and the like.

Accordingly, the present invention includes the following embodiments.

1. A method of preparing a base for a plant-based food product comprising the steps of:

2. The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food according to item 1, further comprising a step (d) in which the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof is compounded with fat, carbohydrate, water, optionally adjuvants, according to the following composition, resulting in a compounded composition:

the balance of water,

The above percentages are based on the total weight of the compounded composition,

Wherein the fat is preferably selected from the group consisting of coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, linseed oil, palm oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and combinations thereof;

The carbohydrate is preferably selected from the group consisting of white granulated sugar, erythritol, glucose, maple sugar, glutinous rice flour, and combinations thereof;

the adjuvant is preferably selected from the group consisting of emulsifiers, defoamers, nutritional supplements, antioxidants, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food of item 2, wherein the compounding is performed by: mixing and dispersing the fat with the emulsifier to obtain a pre-emulsified fat mass, then compounding the pre-emulsified fat mass with the other components of the compounding composition,

Wherein the fat is mixed and dispersed with the emulsifier, preferably under a shearing action of 1500-20000rad/min, more preferably 3000-10000rad/min, and preferably at a temperature of 15-35 ℃, more preferably 20-30 ℃.

4. The method for preparing a base for plant-based foods as described in item 2 or 3, further comprising a step (e) of subjecting the compounded composition to a material-dissolving, shearing, and volume-fixing process in step (e), and then subjecting the resulting volume-fixed material to a sterilization process.

Preferably, the sterilization process is pasteurization, UHT sterilization, and combinations thereof, more preferably a combination of pasteurization and UHT sterilization.

5. The method for preparing a base for a plant-based food according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of alcohols, mixed solvents of alcohols and water, alkanes, supercritical carbon dioxide, and combinations thereof,

Preferably, the alcohol is selected from the group consisting of C2-11 alkyl alcohols, more preferably from the group consisting of C2-C5 alkyl alcohols, such as selected from the group consisting of ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, t-butanol, n-pentanol, isopentanol, t-pentanol, neopentyl alcohol, n-hexanol, isohexanol, n-heptanol, isoheptanol, n-octanol, isooctanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and combinations thereof, more preferably from the group consisting of ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, and combinations thereof;

preferably, the alcohol in the mixed solvent of alcohol and water is selected from the group consisting of C2-C5 alkyl alcohols, more preferably from the group consisting of ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and combinations thereof, wherein preferably the alcohol is present in the mixed solvent in a ratio of 10 wt% to 90 wt%, more preferably 20 wt% to 60 wt%, wherein further preferably the mixed solvent of alcohol and water is an aqueous solution of ethanol having a concentration of 10 wt% to 90 wt%, more preferably 20 wt% to 60 wt%;

Preferably, the alkane is selected from the group consisting of C4-15 alkanes, more preferably from the group consisting of C6-C8 alkanes, for example selected from butane, n-pentane, isopentane, t-pentane, neopentane, n-hexane, isohexane, n-heptane, isoheptane, n-octane, isooctane, and combinations thereof, further preferably butane or n-hexane.

6. The method for preparing a base stock for plant-based food as set forth in any one of items 1 to 3, wherein

The vegetable protein is selected from the group consisting of soy isolate protein, soy protein, pea protein, mung bean protein, chickpea protein, peanut protein, corn protein, rice protein, nut protein, cereal protein, and combinations thereof, preferably selected from the group consisting of soy isolate protein, soy protein, pea protein, and combinations thereof;

the vegetable protein liquid is selected from the group consisting of soy milk, nut paste, cereal paste, and combinations thereof.

7. A method of preparing a base for a plant-based food as in any one of items 1-3, wherein step (a) is performed by: the vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid is mixed and dispersed with the solvent by stirring, preferably at a temperature of 15-35 ℃, more preferably 20-30 ℃, preferably the weight ratio of vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid to solvent is 1:1-1:20, preferably 1:2-1:10.

8. A method of preparing a base stock for a plant-based food as in any one of items 1-3 wherein step (c) comprises: dispersing the solid product obtained from step (b) in water, optionally with shearing, and then evaporating to obtain vegetable proteins or concentrates thereof,

Wherein the shearing treatment is preferably carried out at 3000-12000rad/min, more preferably 5000-8000rad/min, the shearing treatment time is preferably 1-60 minutes, more preferably 5-30 minutes,

Wherein the solvent is preferably removed by evaporation, more preferably by evaporation under reduced pressure at 40-75 ℃.

9. A base for a plant-based food, the base preferably being obtained by the method as in any one of items 1-8, the base comprising:

A treated vegetable protein or concentrate thereof in an amount of 1% to 6%, preferably 2% to 5%, more preferably 2.5% to 4% based on the protein content of the vegetable protein;

fat, which represents from 1% to 10%, preferably from 2% to 5%, more preferably from 3% to 4.5% of the base;

Carbohydrates, which constitute 0.5-10%, preferably 1-5%, more preferably 1.5-3.5% of the base material;

Adjuvants, which account for 0-15%, preferably 0.1% -10%, more preferably 0.3% -0.5% in the base;

the balance of water,

Wherein the fat is preferably selected from the group consisting of coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, canola oil, linseed oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and combinations thereof;

10. Plant-based food product made from the base for plant-based food product obtained by the method as in any one of items 1-8 or the base for plant-based food product as in item 9, wherein the plant-based food product is preferably a plant-based dairy product, more preferably a plant milk, a plant-based yoghurt, a plant cheese, a plant milk powder or a plant-based ice cream.

Drawings

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a flow chart for preparing a base stock according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

As is well known in the food processing arts, the term "base" as used herein refers to the primary raw material used to produce plant-based food products.

Unless otherwise indicated, the amounts given herein are based on mass.

Unless otherwise indicated, endpoints are included when numerical ranges are described herein. When two or more preferred or exemplary values or ranges of values are given, it is self-evident that all ranges formed by combining the different values or endpoints are also included within the scope of the invention.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. In this context, any feature or any embodiment from one aspect of the invention may be used in any other aspect of the invention. Furthermore, it is self-evident that the embodiments contained herein are intended to describe and illustrate the invention, not to limit the invention, and in particular, the invention is not limited to these embodiments.

1. Method for preparing base material for plant-based food

According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for preparing a base for plant-based food products, comprising the steps of:

In one or more embodiments, the method according to the present invention may further comprise a step (d) in which the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof is compounded with fat, carbohydrate, water, optionally adjuvants, resulting in a compounded composition.

In one or more embodiments, the method according to the present invention may further comprise a step (e) of subjecting the compounded composition to a material-melting, shearing, and volume-fixing process in step (e), and then subjecting the resulting volume-fixed material to a sterilization process to obtain a base material for plant-based foods.

The steps will be described below in an exemplary manner, but it should be understood that embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

1. Step (a): solvent treatment

The preparation method according to the present invention comprises the steps of (a): and mixing and dispersing the vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid and a solvent to obtain mixed slurry.

In one or more embodiments, the vegetable protein may be selected from the group consisting of soy protein isolate, soy protein, pea protein, mung bean protein, chickpea protein, peanut protein, corn protein, rice protein, nut protein, cereal protein, and combinations thereof, preferably soy protein isolate, soy protein, pea protein, and combinations thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the vegetable protein liquid may be selected from the group consisting of soy milk, nut butter, nut paste, cereal paste, and combinations thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the solvent may be selected from the group consisting of alcohols, mixed solvents of alcohols and water, alkanes, supercritical carbon dioxide, and combinations thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the alcohol is selected from the group consisting of C2-11 alkyl alcohols, more preferably from the group consisting of C2-C5 alkyl alcohols, such as selected from the group consisting of ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, t-butanol, n-pentanol, isopentanol, t-pentanol, neopentyl alcohol, n-hexanol, isohexanol, n-heptanol, isoheptanol, n-octanol, isooctanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and combinations thereof, further preferably selected from the group consisting of ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, and combinations thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the alcohol in the mixed solvent of alcohol and water is selected from the group consisting of C2-C5 alkyl alcohols, more preferably from the group consisting of ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and combinations thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the proportion of the alcohol in the mixed solvent may be 10 to 90 wt%, more preferably 20 to 60 wt%, and may be, for example: 10 wt%, 20 wt%, 30 wt%, 40 wt%, 50 wt%, 60 wt%, 70 wt%, 80 wt%, 90 wt%, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In a preferred embodiment, the mixed solvent of alcohol and water is an aqueous solution of ethanol having a concentration of 10 wt% to 90 wt%, more preferably 20 wt% to 60 wt%, which may be, for example: 10 wt%, 20 wt%, 30 wt%, 40 wt%, 50 wt%, 60 wt%, 70 wt%, 80 wt%, 90 wt%, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In a preferred embodiment, the alkane may be selected from C4-15 alkanes, more preferably from C6-C8 alkanes, for example may be selected from butane, n-pentane, isopentane, tert-pentane, neopentane, n-hexane, isohexane, n-heptane, isoheptane, n-octane, isooctane, and combinations thereof, more preferably butane or n-hexane. Here, the butane may be liquefied butane.

In one or more embodiments, in step (a), the vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid is mixed and dispersed with the solvent by stirring.

In one or more embodiments, in step (a), the weight ratio of vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid to solvent is from 1:1 to 1:20, preferably from 1:2 to 1:10, which weight ratio may be, for example: 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, 1:10, 1:11, 1:12, 1:13, 1:14, 1:15, 1:16, 1:17, 1:18, 1:19, 1:20, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, in step (a), the mixing and dispersing of the vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid with the solvent may be carried out at a temperature of 15-35 ℃, preferably 20-30 ℃, which may be, for example: 15 ℃, 16 ℃, 17 ℃, 18 ℃, 19 ℃,20 ℃, 21 ℃, 22 ℃, 23 ℃,24 ℃, 25 ℃, 26 ℃,27 ℃, 28 ℃, 29 ℃,30 ℃, 31 ℃, 32 ℃,33 ℃, 34 ℃, 35 ℃, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, in step (a), the mixing and dispersing time is from 10 to 100 minutes, more preferably from 20 to 50 minutes, and may be, for example: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100 minutes, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

2. Step (b): solid-liquid separation

The preparation method according to the present invention comprises the step (b): and (c) performing solid-liquid separation from the mixed slurry obtained in the step (a).

In one or more embodiments, in step (b), solid-liquid separation may be performed using any separation method known in the art, including, but not limited to: centrifugal separation (e.g., horizontal screw or disk), sedimentation separation, filtration separation, and the like.

In one or more embodiments, in step (b), the solid-liquid separation may be performed by centrifugation.

In this embodiment, centrifugation can be performed at 5000-20000rad/min, preferably 9000-12000rad/min, for example at 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, 10000, 11000, 12000, 13000, 14000, 15000, 16000, 17000, 18000, 19000, 20000 rad/min.

In this embodiment, the centrifugation time may be 5-30 minutes, preferably 7-15 minutes, for example, may be 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 7 minutes, 8 minutes, 9 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In a preferred embodiment, the solvent obtained by solid-liquid separation can be recovered for reuse. For example, the recovered solvent may be reused in step (a).

3. Step (c): removing the solvent

The preparation method according to the present invention comprises the step (c): removing all or part of the solvent from the solid product obtained in step (b) to obtain the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof.

Removing all or part of the solvent may mean removing 50wt% to 100 wt%, preferably 98 wt% to 100 wt%, such as 50wt%, 55 wt%, 60 wt%, 65 wt%, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt%, 96 wt%, 97 wt%, 98 wt%, 99 wt%, 100 wt%, or a range defined by any two of the above values of the solvent remaining in the solid product.

In one or more embodiments, the step (c) includes: dispersing the solid product obtained from step (b) in water, optionally with shearing, and then evaporating to obtain the vegetable protein or concentrate thereof.

Preferably, the shearing treatment may be performed at 3000-12000rad/min, more preferably 5000-8000rad/min, for example at 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, 10000, 11000, 12000rad/min, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

Preferably, the shearing treatment time may be from 1 to 60 minutes, more preferably from 5 to 30 minutes, and may be, for example: 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, 35 minutes, 40 minutes, 45 minutes, 50 minutes, 55 minutes, 60 minutes, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

Preferably, the solvent may be removed by evaporation.

In one or more embodiments, the evaporation is carried out under reduced pressure, preferably under a vacuum of 100 to 150mbar, for example under the following vacuum: 100. 110, 120, 130, 140, 150mbar, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the evaporation is performed at a temperature of 40-75 ℃, for example at the following temperatures: 40 ℃, 45 ℃, 50 ℃, 55 ℃, 60 ℃, 65 ℃, 70 ℃, 75 ℃, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the evaporation may be performed at a vacuum of 110 to 130mbar at a temperature of 60 to 80 ℃.

In one or more embodiments, the step (c) includes: dispersing the solid product obtained from step (b) in water, optionally with shearing, then adding an antifoaming agent, and evaporating to obtain the vegetable protein or concentrate thereof. The conditions for the shearing treatment and evaporation may be as described above.

In a preferred embodiment, the removed solvent may be recovered for reuse. For example, the recovered solvent may be reused in step (a).

4. Step (d): compounding

The preparation process according to the present invention may further comprise a step (d) in which the vegetable protein or concentrate thereof treated according to the process of the present invention is compounded with fat, carbohydrate, water, optionally adjuvants, to obtain a compounded composition.

In one or more embodiments, in the compounding, the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof is added in an amount of 1% to 6%, preferably 2% to 5%, more preferably 2.5% to 4%, based on the total weight of the compounded composition, based on the protein content of the plant protein. For example, the amount may be: 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, 5%, 5.5%, 6%, or a range defined by any two of the above values. Here, when the concentrate of the treated vegetable protein is used for compounding, the above amounts are based on the protein content of the vegetable protein contained in the concentrate.

In one or more embodiments, in the compounding, the fat is added in an amount of 1% -10%, preferably 2% -5%, more preferably 3% -4.5%, based on the total weight of the compounded composition. For example, the amount may be: 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, 5%, 5.5%, 6%, 6.5%, 7%, 7.5%, 8%, 8.5%, 9%, 9.5%, 10%, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, in the compounding, the carbohydrate is added in an amount of 0.5-10%, preferably 1% -5%, more preferably 1.5% -3.5%, based on the total weight of the compounded composition. For example, the amount may be: 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, 5%, 5.5%, 6%, 6.5%, 7%, 7.5%, 8%, 8.5%, 9%, 9.5%, 10%, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, adjuvants may optionally be added in the compounding.

In one or more embodiments, the adjuvants may be added in the compounding in an amount of 0-15%, preferably 0.1% -10%, more preferably 0.3% -0.5%, based on the total weight of the compounded composition. For example, the amount may be ：0％、0.5％、1％、1.5％、2％、2.5％、3％、3.5％、4％、4.5％、5％、5.5％、6％、6.5％、7％、7.5％、8％、8.5％、9％、9.5％、10％、10.5％、11％、11.5％、12％、12.5％、13％、13.5％、14％、14.5％、15％、 or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, in the compounding, the balance is made up by adding water such that the total amount reaches 100% based on the total weight of the compounded composition.

In one or more embodiments, the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof is compounded in step (d) with fat, carbohydrate, water, optionally adjuvants, according to the following composition to obtain a compounded composition:

the balance of water,

In one or more embodiments, the fat may be selected from the group consisting of coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, soybean oil, canola oil, linseed oil, palm oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the fat may be selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, canola oil, linseed oil, and combinations thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the carbohydrates include, but are not limited to: white sugar, erythritol, isomaltooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, fructooligosaccharide, polydextrose, maltose, glucose, maple sugar, and optionally cereal carbohydrates such as Oryza Glutinosa powder and semen oryzae Sativae powder. Preferably, the carbohydrate may be selected from white granulated sugar, erythritol, glucose, maple sugar, glutinous rice flour, and combinations thereof. Further preferably, the carbohydrate may be maple sugar.

The inventors have unexpectedly found that when using maple sugar as a carbohydrate formulation base, the mouthfeel of the base can be made closer to a pure milk product.

In one or more embodiments, the adjunct can be any adjunct available in the art. For example, the adjuvants include, but are not limited to: fruit juice, fruit particles, jam, strains, emulsifying agents, thickening agents, acidity regulators, defoamers, nutrition enhancers, antioxidants and the like. Preferably, the adjuvant may be selected from the group consisting of emulsifiers, defoamers, nutritional supplements, antioxidants, and combinations thereof.

Preferably, the emulsifier is a phospholipid.

Preferably, the defoamer is a polydimethylsiloxane emulsion, in particular a polydimethylsiloxane emulsion conforming to the specifications of GB 30612.

The inventors have found that after treatment of the vegetable proteins according to the invention (i.e. solvent treatment as described in step (a)) the treated vegetable proteins are compounded in a formulation as described above, the taste of the plants themselves in the base obtained from the compound is significantly reduced and the overall organoleptic properties are also more similar to that of a dairy cow. Such binders are in turn useful for providing improved plant-based foods, especially plant-based dairy products.

The compounding may be performed in any manner known in the art. Such compounding includes, but is not limited to: the components (treated vegetable protein or concentrate thereof, fat, carbohydrate and optional adjuvants) are mixed and dispersed with water in a ratio, for example in the range of 1:1 to 1:20, preferably 1:2 to 1:10, which may be, for example: 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4, 1:5, 1:6, 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, 1:10, 1:11, 1:12, 1:13, 1:14, 1:15, 1:16, 1:17, 1:18, 1:19, 1:20, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In some embodiments, the fat, carbohydrate, and optional excipients may each independently be pretreated prior to compounding.

The pretreatment includes, but is not limited to: pre-selecting, mixing and dispersing; pre-emulsifying.

The pre-emulsification includes, but is not limited to: adding emulsifying agent into fat, and treating at certain temperature and shearing for a certain time to fully emulsify. The pre-emulsification is preferably: adding all emulsifying agent into all fat, and high-speed shearing and emulsifying at 3000-10000rad/min for 5-20 min at normal temperature.

In a preferred embodiment, the compounding may be performed by: fat is mixed and dispersed with an emulsifier to obtain a pre-emulsified fat mass, which is then compounded with the other components of the compounding composition.

Preferably, the mixing dispersion of fat and emulsifier is performed under a shearing action of 1500-20000rad/min, more preferably 3000-10000 rad/min. For example, the shearing process is performed at 1500、2000、2500、3000、4000、5000、6000、7000、8000、9000、10000、11000、12000、13000、14000、15000、16000、17000、18000、19000、20000rad/min、 or a range defined by any two of the above values.

Preferably, the mixing and dispersion of the fat and the emulsifier is carried out at a temperature of 15-35 ℃, more preferably 20-30 ℃, which temperature may be, for example: 15 ℃, 16 ℃, 17 ℃, 18 ℃, 19 ℃, 20 ℃, 21 ℃, 22 ℃, 23 ℃, 24 ℃,25 ℃, 26 ℃, 27 ℃, 28 ℃, 29 ℃, 30 ℃, 31 ℃, 32 ℃, 33 ℃, 34 ℃, 35 ℃, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

Preferably, the fat is mixed with the emulsifier for dispersion for 3-30 minutes, preferably 5-20 minutes, for example 3,4, 5,6,7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 minutes or a range defined by any two of the above values.

The inventors have unexpectedly found that by pre-emulsifying the fat material with an emulsifier as described above, and then subsequently compounding with other ingredients, the plant-based characteristic flavour of the resulting base material can be further reduced, such that the overall sensory feel of the resulting base material is more milk-like.

5. Step (e): sterilization

The preparation method according to the present invention may further comprise a step (e) in which the compounded composition in step (d) is subjected to a material-dissolving, shearing, and volume-fixing process, and then the resulting volume-fixed material is subjected to a sterilization process, thereby obtaining a base material for plant-based foods according to the present invention.

The melting may be performed in any manner known in the art including, but not limited to: under the stirring condition, a certain temperature is controlled to fully dissolve and fuse the materials and water. The chemical material is preferably: the compounded composition is subjected to a compounding under stirring at a temperature of 40-85 ℃.

The shearing treatment may be performed in any manner known in the art including, but not limited to: high-speed shearing machine, colloid mill, high-pressure jet mill, etc.

The sterilization process may be performed in a manner known in the art. Preferably, the sterilization process is pasteurization, UHT sterilization, and combinations thereof, more preferably a combination of pasteurization and UHT sterilization.

In one or more embodiments, in the sterilization process, the constant volume material is prepared into a base material through processes of homogenization, pasteurization, ultra-high temperature sterilization and the like. The characteristic flavor of the plant-based raw material of the base material is obviously reduced, and the whole sense is more similar to that of a dairy product.

The homogenization may be performed in a manner known in the art, including but not limited to: the material is homogenized into a uniform system by controlling the temperature and the homogenizing pressure of the material. The conditions of homogenization are preferably: two-stage homogenization is carried out at 50-80 ℃ and 200-400 bar.

The pasteurization may be performed in a manner known in the art, including but not limited to: sterilizing at low temperature for a long time, sterilizing at high temperature for a short time, etc. The conditions of pasteurization are preferably: sterilizing at 85-89+ -2 deg.C for 15-30s

The ultra-high temperature sterilization may be performed in a manner known in the art, including but not limited to: heating the material with steam to 135 deg.C (or above) for 2-10s; sterilization should involve a pre-or post-homogenization procedure. The conditions of the ultra-high temperature sterilization are preferably as follows: the instantaneous sterilization at 137-142 deg.C for 4-6s includes pre-or post-homogenization, and two-stage homogenization under pressure of 200-400bar at 50-80 deg.C.

In one or more embodiments, after the sterilization process, the resulting material is cooled. The cooling includes, but is not limited to: cooling by a heat exchanger, wherein the temperature is less than or equal to 10 ℃.

6. Preparation process flow of base material

An exemplary embodiment of a method of preparing a base for a plant-based food according to the present invention will be described below with reference to fig. 1. The embodiment shown in fig. 1 is merely illustrative, and embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

As shown in fig. 1, the preparation method according to the present invention may include a protein treatment process, a dosing process, and a sterilization process.

In the protein treatment step, a vegetable protein (e.g., soybean protein powder) and an organic solvent (e.g., an aqueous solution of ethanol) are mixed and dispersed to obtain a mixed slurry. The mixed slurry may then be subjected to solid-liquid separation to yield a solid product. All or part of the solvent remaining in the solid product may then be removed by evaporation to yield the treated vegetable protein or concentrate thereof. For the purpose of environmental protection and energy saving, the solvent obtained by solid-liquid separation and the solvent removed by evaporation can be recycled and reused, for example, the solvent can be reused in pretreatment of protein raw materials.

In the dosing procedure, the fat, the carbohydrate and the auxiliary material are optionally pretreated separately. The pretreatment includes, but is not limited to: pre-selecting, mixing and dispersing; pre-emulsifying. Preferably, the fat is mixed and dispersed with the emulsifier to obtain a pre-emulsified fat mass, and the pre-emulsified fat mass is compounded with other components.

Then, optionally pretreated fat, carbohydrate, auxiliary materials, vegetable protein or a concentrate thereof obtained by a protein treatment procedure and water are mixed, the mixed composition obtained by mixing is subjected to material melting at a certain temperature, and then is subjected to high shear treatment, and the volume is fixed to a certain volume according to the prescription index.

In the sterilization procedure, the raw materials with constant volume are prepared into the base material for plant-based food through the processes of homogenization, pasteurization, ultra-high temperature sterilization and the like. The characteristic flavor of the plant-based raw material of the base material is obviously reduced, and the whole sense is closer to that of the milk product.

The specific steps and conditions in each of the above procedures may be the same as those described above in relation to the description.

2. Base material for plant-based food

According to another aspect, the invention relates to a base for a plant-based food product, the base comprising:

the balance of water,

In one or more embodiments, the amount of the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof is from 1% to 6%, preferably from 2% to 5%, more preferably from 2.5% to 4%, based on the total weight of the base. For example, the amount may be: 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, 5%, 5.5%, 6%, or a range defined by any two of the above values. Here, when the concentrate of the treated plant protein is contained, the above amounts are based on the protein content of the plant protein contained in the concentrate.

In one or more embodiments, the amount of fat is 1% to 10%, preferably 2% to 5%, more preferably 3% to 4.5%, based on the total weight of the base. For example, the amount may be: 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, 5%, 5.5%, 6%, 6.5%, 7%, 7.5%, 8%, 8.5%, 9%, 9.5%, 10%, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the amount of carbohydrate is 0.5-10%, preferably 1% -5%, more preferably 1.5% -3.5%, based on the total weight of the binder. For example, the amount may be: 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 2.5%, 3%, 3.5%, 4%, 4.5%, 5%, 5.5%, 6%, 6.5%, 7%, 7.5%, 8%, 8.5%, 9%, 9.5%, 10%, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the amount of the adjuvant is 0-15%, preferably 0.1% -10%, more preferably 0.3% -0.5%, based on the total weight of the base. For example, the amount may be ：0％、0.5％、1％、1.5％、2％、2.5％、3％、3.5％、4％、4.5％、5％、5.5％、6％、6.5％、7％、7.5％、8％、8.5％、9％、9.5％、10％、10.5％、11％、11.5％、12％、12.5％、13％、13.5％、14％、14.5％、15％、 or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the binder is a binder obtained by the above-described preparation method according to the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof is obtained by a process comprising the steps of:

The specific process and conditions for each of the above steps may be the same as those described above in relation to the description.

Compared with the base material prepared by the method in the prior art, the base material provided by the invention has the characteristic flavor of plant base, is more similar to or completely simulates milk products in aspects of smell, taste, mouthfeel and the like, and is very suitable for being applied to the production of a plurality of plant-based foods such as plant milk, plant-based yoghurt, plant cheese, plant milk powder, plant-based ice cream and the like.

3. Plant-based food

According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention relates to a plant-based food product, which is prepared from the base material for plant-based food product obtained by the above-described preparation method according to the present invention or the base material for plant-based food product according to the present invention.

In one or more embodiments, the plant-based food is a plant-based dairy product, preferably a plant milk, a plant-based yoghurt, a plant cheese, a plant milk powder or a plant-based ice cream.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the following examples, which are only for illustrating the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention.

Examples

1. Evaluation method

1. Evaluation of plant-based characteristic flavor for base samples

The base samples and the milk product (pure milk pro 3.2%) were tasted separately by 12 expert sensory persons using the profiling evaluation method. The evaluation indexes are as follows: beany flavor, cereal flavor, oil flavor, nut flavor, and gritty feel. The evaluation results of the base samples were compared with the milk product (pure milk pro 3.2%) to evaluate the plant-based characteristic flavors of the base samples.

Evaluation criteria: the 10-point scale is used, see table below.

2. Evaluation of milk similarity for base samples

The base samples and the milk product (pure milk pro 3.2%) were tasted separately by 12 expert sensory persons using the profiling evaluation method. The evaluation indexes are as follows: cow milk taste, creaminess, fat feel, mouth consistency, smoothness, water feel, sweet feel. The evaluation of the base sample was compared with the milk product (pure milk pro 3.2%) to evaluate the sensory similarity of the base sample to the milk product.

Evaluation criteria: the 10-point scale is used, see table below.

2. Raw material source

The specifications of the raw materials involved in the examples are given in table 1 below. Unless otherwise indicated, the raw materials used are by weight.

Table 1: raw material specification

3. Experimental part

Example 1

1. Protein treatment procedure:

mixing and dispersing soybean protein isolate and ethanol water solution (i.e. ethanol solution, concentration of 50% w/w) at a ratio of 1:4, and maintaining at 25deg.C for 30min under stirring;

Centrifuging the obtained mixed slurry at 10000rad/min for 10 min, and collecting precipitate;

dispersing the obtained precipitate in water, and performing high shear treatment at 6000rad/min for 10 min;

Adding polydimethylsiloxane emulsion, distilling at 75deg.C under vacuum degree of 120mbar, and evaporating alcohol to obtain protein concentrate.

2. And (3) a batching procedure:

weighing coconut oil according to the formula in the table below and adding phospholipids, pre-emulsifying at 6000rad/min for 10 min at room temperature;

Weighing the protein and other components obtained by the above procedures according to the following table formula;

weighing purified water according to the proportion of 1:5, heating to 40 ℃, adding all the raw materials listed in the formula of the table, stirring for 5-10 minutes, slowly heating to 70 ℃, and stirring for 10 minutes to obtain a material;

And cooling the material to less than 10 ℃ after the material melting is finished by a plate heat exchanger, and carrying out constant volume temporary storage.

The formula comprises the following components:

3. And (3) sterilization:

Preheating the constant-volume material to 65 ℃, homogenizing (total pressure 200bar, secondary pressure 40 bar), sterilizing at 85 ℃ for 15S, cooling to less than 10 ℃, adding vitamin E, and stirring uniformly;

preheating to 65deg.C, homogenizing (total pressure 200bar, secondary pressure 40 bar), sterilizing at 137 deg.C for 4S, and cooling to below 10deg.C;

Obtaining the vegetable protein base material.

Example 2

1. Protein treatment procedure:

Mixing and dispersing soybean protein isolate and ethanol water solution (i.e. ethanol solution, concentration of 50% w/w) at a ratio of 1:4, and maintaining at 25deg.C for 30 min under stirring;

adding polydimethylsiloxane emulsion, distilling under vacuum degree of 120mbar and 65deg.C, and evaporating alcohol to obtain protein concentrate.

2. And (3) a batching procedure:

The ingredients were prepared according to the following table formulation, and the process steps of the ingredients step were the same as those of example 1.

The formula comprises the following components:

3. And (3) sterilization:

The process steps of the sterilization process are the same as those of the sterilization process of example 1.

Example 3

1. Protein treatment procedure:

mixing and dispersing soybean protein isolate and ethanol water solution (namely ethanol solution with concentration of 25% w/w) in a ratio of 1:4, and keeping at 25 ℃ for 30 minutes under stirring;

2. And (3) a batching procedure:

The formula comprises the following components:

raw material name	Proportioning of
		Isolated soy protein	3.7％
Coconut oil	4％
		White granulated sugar	1.7％
Phospholipid	0.15％
		Calcium	0.3％
Polydimethylsiloxane emulsion	0.005％
		Vitamin E	0.004％
Water and its preparation method	Supplement to 100

3. And (3) sterilization:

Example 4

1. Protein treatment procedure:

The procedure of the protein treatment step was the same as that of example 1.

2. And (3) a batching procedure:

The formula comprises the following components:

3. And (3) sterilization:

Example 5

1. Protein treatment procedure:

Mixing and dispersing the soy protein isolate and n-hexane in a ratio of 1:2, and keeping the mixture at 25 ℃ for 30 minutes under a stirring state;

adding polydimethylsiloxane emulsion, distilling at vacuum degree of 120mbar and 75deg.C, and evaporating n-hexane to obtain protein.

2. And (3) a batching procedure:

The formula comprises the following components:

3. And (3) sterilization:

Example 6

1. Protein treatment procedure:

The procedure of the protein treatment step was the same as that of example 1.

2. Batching process

The formula comprises the following components:

3. And (3) sterilization:

Example 7

1. Protein treatment procedure:

The procedure of the protein treatment step was the same as that of example 1.

2. Batching process

The formula comprises the following components:

3. And (3) sterilization:

Example 8

1. Protein treatment procedure:

The procedure of the protein treatment step was the same as that of example 1.

2. Batching process

The formula comprises the following components:

raw material name	Proportioning of
		Isolated soy protein	3.7％
Coconut oil	1.6％
		Palm oil	1.6％
Canola oil	0.8％
		White granulated sugar	1.7％
Phospholipid	0.15％
		Calcium	0.3％
Polydimethylsiloxane emulsion	0.005％
		Vitamin E	0.004％
Water and its preparation method	Supplement to 100

3. And (3) sterilization:

Example 9

1. Protein treatment procedure:

The procedure of the protein treatment step was the same as that of example 1.

2. Batching process

The formula comprises the following components:

raw material name	Proportioning of
		Pea protein	4.0％
Coconut oil	4％
		White granulated sugar	1.7％
Phospholipid	0.15％
		Calcium	0.3％
Polydimethylsiloxane emulsion	0.005％
		Vitamin E	0.004％
Water and its preparation method	Supplement to 100

3. And (3) sterilization:

Example 10

1. Protein treatment procedure:

The procedure of the protein treatment step was the same as that of example 1.

2. Batching process

The formula comprises the following components:

3. And (3) sterilization:

Comparative example 1

1. Batching process

Weighing soybean protein isolate according to the formula shown in the table;

weighing coconut oil according to the formula of the table below, adding phospholipids, pre-emulsifying at 6000rad/min for 10 min at room temperature;

weighing other components listed in the following table according to the formula of the table;

The formula comprises the following components:

2. And (3) sterilization:

Obtaining the vegetable protein base material.

Comparative example 2

1. Protein treatment procedure:

Mixing and dispersing soybean protein isolate and pea protein with ethanol water solution (i.e. ethanol solution, concentration of 50% w/w) at a ratio of 1:1, and maintaining at 25deg.C for 30 min under stirring;

Adding defoamer, distilling at 75deg.C under vacuum degree of 120mbar, and evaporating alcohol to obtain protein concentrate.

2. Batching process

The formula comprises the following components:

3. And (3) sterilization:

Comparative example 3

1. Protein treatment procedure:

Mixing and dispersing soybean protein isolate and pea protein with ethanol water solution (i.e. ethanol solution, concentration of 50% w/w) at a ratio of 1:10, and maintaining at 25deg.C for 30min under stirring;

2. Batching process

The formula comprises the following components:

raw material name	Proportioning of
		Isolated soy protein	5％
Pea protein	2％
		Coconut oil	4％
White granulated sugar	1.7％
		Phospholipid	0.15％
Calcium	0.3％
		Polydimethylsiloxane emulsion	0.005％
Vitamin E	0.004％
		Water and its preparation method	Supplement to 100

3. And (3) sterilization:

Comparative example 4

1. Batching process

Weighing soybean protein isolate according to the formula shown in the table;

weighing other raw materials listed in the following table formula according to the following table formula;

The formula comprises the following components:

2. And (3) sterilization:

Comparative example 5

1. Protein treatment procedure:

The procedure of the protein treatment step was the same as that of example 1.

2. Batching process

The formula comprises the following components:

raw material name	Proportioning of
		Isolated soy protein	3.7％
Coconut oil	15％
		White granulated sugar	1.7％
Phospholipid	0.15％
		Calcium	0.3％
Polydimethylsiloxane emulsion	0.005％
		Vitamin E	0.004％
Water and its preparation method	Supplement to 100

3. And (3) sterilization:

Comparative example 6

1. Protein treatment procedure:

The procedure of the protein treatment step was the same as that of example 1.

2. Batching process

The formula comprises the following components:

3. And (3) sterilization:

Evaluation results

The binders obtained in each of the examples and comparative examples were evaluated for plant-based characteristic flavor and milk similarity according to the evaluation methods described above. The evaluation results of the respective base samples and the pure milk product (pro 3.2%) are shown in the following table:

Table 2: evaluation results

Conclusion(s)

Examples 1-10 vegetable proteins were solvent treated according to the method of the present invention and then the solvent treated vegetable proteins were dosed according to the formulation composition according to the present invention to prepare a base material. Whereas comparative examples 1 and 4 did not treat vegetable proteins, comparative examples 2-3 and 5-6 used solvent-treated vegetable proteins, but the formulation composition was not in accordance with the present invention.

As shown by the results in table 2, the base of example 1 was significantly reduced in terms of beany flavor, cereal flavor, nut flavor, etc., as compared to the base of comparative examples 1-3 and 5-6, indicating that the plant-based characteristic flavor was significantly reduced while generally being more similar to a pure milk product in terms of cow's milk flavor, creaminess, fat feel, mouth consistency, smoothness, water feel, sweetness. Moreover, example 4 also showed a significantly reduced plant-based characteristic flavor and a sensory evaluation closer to that of pure milk compared to its corresponding comparative example 4.

It can be seen that by specific solvent treatment of vegetable proteins in combination with specific ingredients composition, the present invention provides a vegetable-based base material with a significantly reduced characteristic flavor of vegetable-based, and which is more organoleptically similar to a pure milk product as a whole.

As the results in table 2 further demonstrate, the base of example 1 using the pre-emulsification process achieved a further reduced plant-based characteristic flavor and was closer to the milk mouthfeel than example 4 without the pre-emulsification process.

Furthermore, as can be seen from a comparison of the results of example 6 and example 1 in table 2, the use of maple sugar as a carbohydrate formulation base allows the base to be further organoleptically approximated to a pure milk product while having a low plant based characteristic flavor.

Claims

2. The method of preparing a base for plant-based food according to claim 1, further comprising a step (d) in which the treated plant protein or concentrate thereof is compounded with fat, carbohydrate, water, optionally adjuvants, according to the following composition, resulting in a compounded composition:

the balance of water,

3. A method of preparing a base for plant-based food as claimed in claim 2, wherein the compounding is performed by: mixing and dispersing the fat with the emulsifier to obtain a pre-emulsified fat mass, then compounding the pre-emulsified fat mass with the other components of the compounding composition,

4. A method of preparing a base for plant-based foods as claimed in claim 2 or 3, further comprising the step (e) of subjecting the compounded composition to a material-dissolving, shearing, and volume-fixing process in step (e), and then subjecting the resulting volume-fixed material to a sterilization process.

5. The method for preparing a base for a plant-based food according to claim 1 to 3, wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of alcohols, mixed solvents of alcohols and water, alkanes, supercritical carbon dioxide, and combinations thereof,

6. A method of preparing a base stock for plant-based food as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein

7. A method of preparing a base stock for plant-based foods as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein step (a) is carried out by: the vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid is mixed and dispersed with the solvent by stirring, preferably at a temperature of 15-35 ℃, more preferably 20-30 ℃, preferably the weight ratio of vegetable protein or vegetable protein liquid to solvent is 1:1-1:20, preferably 1:2-1:10.

8. A method of preparing a base stock for plant-based foods as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein step (c) comprises: dispersing the solid product obtained from step (b) in water, optionally with shearing, and then evaporating to obtain vegetable proteins or concentrates thereof,

9. A base for plant-based food, preferably obtained by a method as in any one of claims 1-8, comprising:

the balance of water,

10. Plant-based food product made from the base for plant-based food product obtained by the method according to any one of claims 1-8 or the base for plant-based food product according to claim 9, wherein the plant-based food product is preferably a plant-based dairy product, more preferably a plant milk, a plant-based yoghurt, a plant cheese, a plant milk powder or a plant-based ice cream.