Innophos, a global business of specialty ingredient solutions that delivers far-reaching, versatile benefits for the food, health, nutrition, and industrial markets, recently released a new whitepaper, Cheese Substitutes: Formulating with Plant-Based Proteins. Understanding what influences protein interactions and creating strategies for improving plant-based protein functionalities is critical to developing appealing substitutes. Innophos explores the underlying mechanisms that influence protein interactions and offers a database with available solutions to help formulators better understand what influences protein interactions and how to improve plant-based protein functionality to optimize the taste and texture of plant-based cheese. 

Flavorful, sharp, mild, or creamy—consumers love their cheese. Now, they are seeking non-dairy plant-based substitutes to address their concerns about health, environmental sustainability, and the ethical treatment of animals. At the same time, they aren’t about to compromise on taste and texture. 

The demand for non-dairy cheese substitutes is growing rapidly in the United States with many consumers shifting toward vegan diets and healthier options. In 2020, the percentage of cheese substitute introductions doubled, and over the past five years plant-based claims grew by an astounding 165 percent CAGR. Formulators of plant-based cheese applications understand that plant-based proteins function differently than dairy proteins. However, it can be challenging to identify the underlying mechanisms that influence protein interactions and to develop strategies for improving plant-based protein functionalities.

To address the formulation challenges of plant-based cheeses, Innophos built a technical database to help identify the right combination of plant protein (e.g., pea, fava, and potato) and emulsifying phosphate salts for different applications. “By understanding the plant-based protein functionalities and modulating with emulsifying salts, we can achieve dairy alternative cheeses with desirable textural profiles while addressing consumer needs for great-tasting, healthy and sustainable food products," said Amr Shaheed, manager of technical services, Innophos, Inc. “We highlight several examples in our whitepaper, including a recent pea protein isolate case study which showcases improvements in moisture content, shredability and melt properties with the addition of Innophos Texture-Melt NM69.”

The new Innophos whitepaper highlights the results of plant-based cheese substitute research and shares key insights to help manufacturers create great-tasting plant-based cheese.

Download the complimentary whitepaper here.