RU2795817C1 - Method for producing plant food substitute meat and plant food produced by this method - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: food industry.

SUBSTANCE: method for the production of a vegetable food product that replaces meat, and to vegetable food products that can be obtained by this method. A method for producing a plant-based meat substitute food product and a meat substitute product is characterized by the following steps: (a) hydration of vegetable protein texturate, comprising the following stages: (a1) mixing dry vegetable protein texturate with water and their stirring; (a2) curing the resulting mixture to form a hydrated vegetable protein texturate; (b) preparing an emulsion of vegetable oils, including the following steps: (b1) adding binder components selected from cellulose, its derivatives and mixtures thereof to water, and stirring until a homogeneous mass is obtained; (b2) melting coconut oil to a liquid consistency; (b3) adding sunflower oil and rapeseed oil to the melted coconut oil and stirring these oils; (b4) gradual addition of a mixture of oils to a previously prepared mixture of water with binders with vigorous stirring; (b5) after adding the entire mixture of oils to the mixture of water with binders - emulsifying the mixture with vigorous stirring until an emulsion is formed in the form of a thick white mass; (c) preparing minced meat by mixing the hydrated vegetable protein texturate with the vegetable oil emulsion, comprising the following stages: (c1) loading the hydrated vegetable protein texturate into the mixer; (c2) introducing vegetable oil emulsion into the mixer and stirring until a homogeneous mass of a vegetable food product replacing meat is obtained in the form of minced meat. Moreover, vegetable protein texturate is obtained by co-extrusion of a mixture of pea protein isolate, rice protein isolate and soy protein concentrate at the following ratio of initial components, in terms of the total weight of texturate: from 25 to 35 wt.% pea protein isolate, from 10 to 20 wt.% rice protein isolate; and 50 to 60 wt.% soy protein concentrate. The vegetable oil emulsion includes vegetable oils in the following ratio of initial components, calculated on the total weight of vegetable oils: from 19 to 29 wt.% sunflower oil, from 37 to 47 wt.% rapeseed oil and from 29 to 39 wt.% coconut oil.

EFFECT: creating a simple and effective method for the production of a vegetable food product having a texture and appearance similar to minced meat and products from it, with a balanced amino acid composition corresponding to or at least as close as possible to the composition of an “ideal” protein, having an optimal ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, which can serve as a complete replacement for meat in the diet of vegetarians and vegans.

18 cl, 5 tbl, 2 ex

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The invention relates to the food industry, in particular, to a method for the production of a vegetable food product that replaces meat, and to vegetable food products that can be obtained by this method.

PRIOR ART

Various methods are known in the food industry for the production of artificially manufactured foods, including plant-based meat substitutes.

The so-called "vegetable meat" is a product rich in vegetable protein that mimics the look, taste, color, smell and texture of traditional meat and fish counterparts. The basis for such products are vegetable proteins, and above all soy protein, wheat gluten and pea protein. The production of these three types of proteins in the form of defatted flour, concentrates and isolates was mastered by the food industry in the second half of the 20th century. The advantages of vegetable meat are that such a product does not contain cholesterol, has a higher protein digestibility in comparison with, for example, beef, and contains fiber.

To give vegetable proteins a meat-like structure, they are texturized by converting defatted protein into fibrous structures similar to animal meat, for which food extrusion technology is used. The essence of the extrusion method is that a mixture of protein powder and water is processed in special devices - extruders, in which the protein mass is forced at high temperature and pressure through holes of small diameter, followed by rapid cooling. In this way, a fibrous product is obtained - the so-called "texture", which imitates the texture of meat well.

Known methods for making plant-based meat replacement foods typically involve mixing vegetable protein powder or texturate with water, fats, food colorings, flavorings, and other additives. As a result, minced meat is obtained. Producers form cutlets and other final products from minced meat. If necessary, the products are frozen, packaged and sent to a cold or freezing warehouse.

In some cases, as in patent RU2710724, based on international application WO2016055940, vegetable protein in the form of flour in dry form is mixed with liquid components, including water and/or fat, the mixture is heated and under pressure an emulsion of the food product is obtained in the form of dough, which is then mold.

In other cases, as in patents RU2442430 and EP2084972, based on international application WO2008054189, vegetable protein is mixed with water and dye, hydrated under vacuum, and then hydrated vegetable protein is mixed with meat, texturizing products and subjected to heat treatment, obtaining a product from a combination of animal protein and vegetable protein.

In other cases, as in international applications WO2021009043 and WO2019134992, textured vegetable protein is used, either as a dispersion in water or in a pre-hydrated form, mixed with fats to obtain a product having a structure reminiscent of natural meat.

So, according to the document WO2019134992, which is the closest analogue of the claimed invention, a method for the production of a vegetable meat substitute includes:

a) preparing a mixture of one or more colorants with water to obtain a liquid coloring mixture;

b) obtaining a solid extruded vegetable protein material derived from peas or soybeans;

c) mixing the liquid dye mixture and the solid extruded proteinaceous material;

d) hydrating a mixture of solid extruded vegetable protein and a mixture of liquid color to obtain a hydrated colored protein;

e) adding a vegetable fat that is solid at room temperature, such as coconut fat, to the hydrated colored protein; moreover, the implementation of these operations is carried out at ambient temperature or below.

Traditionally, artificially produced plant-based meats have been used to reduce the cost of certain foods, often replacing all or some of the natural meat with plant-based substitutes. However, there has been a recent trend towards plant-based products designed to replace meat-based products that could replace them in the diet of people who do not include animal products in their diet, such as vegetarians and vegans. It is important that such a replacement of an animal product with a vegetable product ensures the maximum correspondence of its amino acid composition to the body's needs for amino acids (primarily essential ones) for protein synthesis and the degree of their assimilation by the body.

For complete assimilation of food protein, the content of amino acids in it must be in a certain ratio, that is, be balanced. Based on many years of biomedical research, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, from the English Food and Agriculture Organization , FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have established a criterion for determining protein quality - a standard that has the best balance of essential amino acids. The composition of the so-called "reference" or "ideal" protein was first adopted by the FAO/WHO in 1973, and has been repeatedly adjusted since then.

The amino acid composition of the “ideal” protein according to the FAO/WHO 2011 scale is shown in the following table:

The composition of the "ideal" protein

Amino acid name The content of essential amino acids, g / 100 g of protein Valine 4 Isoleucine 3 Leucine 6.1 Lysine 4.8 Methionine + cysteine 2.3 Phenylalanine + Tyrosine 4.1 Threonine 2.5 tryptophan 0.66 Histidine 1.6

It should be noted that the "ideal" protein contains not only essential amino acids (NAA) in certain proportions, but also a certain proportion of non-essential amino acids (NAA).

According to the balance of the amino acid composition, proteins of animal origin are closest to the “ideal” protein. Animal proteins (eg milk, meat, egg, fish) are complete.

The biological value of vegetable proteins is lower, vegetable proteins (for example, proteins of wheat, corn and other cereals) are incomplete, since the amino acid composition of these proteins does not contain a complete set of essential amino acids, they are characterized by a low content of lysine, tryptophan and threonine. Therefore, in terms of the balance of the amino acid composition, they do not correspond to the “ideal” protein.

Along with the amino acid composition, the biological value of proteins is also determined by the degree of their assimilation after digestion. Animal proteins have a higher digestibility than vegetable proteins, which are not completely absorbed by the body. So legumes contain inhibitors of proteinases, which reduces the absorption of protein from them. As for isolates and concentrates of proteins from legumes, their amino acid composition and digestibility are close to those of protein of animal origin. At the same time, protein from plant products is absorbed by the body by 62-80%.

As mentioned above, soy protein, wheat gluten and pea protein are the most commonly used for the manufacture of vegetable meat.

Soy protein is easily emulsified and texturized. In addition, soy protein is close in amino acid composition to animal proteins - it contains all nine essential amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, valine and histidine). Soy contains a number of elements necessary for the human body, which contribute to the activation of metabolic processes and act as antioxidants. These are microelements such as zinc, iron, and macronutrients - sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, as well as B vitamins (B1, B2, PP, B4, B5, B6, B9) beta-carotene (vitamin A), vitamins C, E, H. However, it, like other legumes, lacks such important amino acids as methionine and cysteine, and unlike meat, soy does not contain vitamin B12, so it is not a complete replacement for animal protein.

Wheat gluten is often used in artificial meats that resemble beef, chicken, duck, fish, and pork to provide additional protein and in vegetarian diets. However, it can present problems for people with celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and gluten sensitivity.

Pea protein contains a large amount of essential and non-essential amino acids. It holds the record for the amino acid arginine - its content in pea protein is higher than in any other plant protein source. Pea protein is also rich in the essential amino acid lysine and the important amino acid glutamine, and, unlike soy protein, is high in valuable branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are important for building muscle and muscle protection, in particular in bodybuilding. However, it has a number of disadvantages, which include low digestibility, the risk of digestive discomfort, and a pronounced bean taste and smell. In addition, the usefulness of pea protein is limited by the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cysteine.

Rice protein can also be used as a vegetable protein source. It has the entire spectrum of essential amino acids, contains sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamins B1, B2 and PP. It also includes biotin, amylopectin and zinc, a significant amount of starch, which is easily absorbed by the human body, a little fiber (up to 1%), mono- and disaccharides (up to 0.4%). It is quickly absorbed and does not interfere with the digestion of other foods.

However, none of these types of vegetable protein is a complete substitute for animal meat and does not have the optimal amino acid ratio that meets the FAO / WHO requirements for a complete “ideal” protein.

In a number of documents of the prior art for the manufacture of food products that replace meat, it was proposed to use mixtures of various types of vegetable proteins (see, for example, the above-mentioned RU2710724, WO 2021/009043) or vegetable oils (RU2728653 and EP3628173, based on WO 2015/153666 ).

KR20210100254 suggested using both mixtures of different types of vegetable proteins and mixtures of different oils. The method described in this document requires processing at elevated temperatures, at which protein coagulation occurs and the destruction of some vitamins present in vegetable proteins and oils, namely, steaming the protein is carried out at a temperature of from 90 ° C to 95 ° C, and the preparation of an emulsion of oils - at a temperature from 75°С to 85°С. In addition, a necessary ingredient in the product produced by this method is gluten, which, as mentioned above, can cause adverse reactions in people with gluten intolerance.

None of the known documents considered the problem of creating a plant food product having a balanced composition of plant proteins, having an amino acid composition corresponding to the composition of the "ideal" protein according to the FAO/WHO requirements, and also having an optimal ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. . Specific qualitative and quantitative compositions of mixtures of vegetable proteins and oils are not indicated in any of the known documents.

Definitions

Unless otherwise indicated, all terms used in the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meanings generally known to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

The use of the singular in this work refers to both the singular and the plural, unless the context dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the terms "comprise", "comprise", "comprising" are synonymous with the terms "comprises", "comprise", "comprising" and have a non-exclusive or modifiable meaning that indicates the presence of the following entities, such as steps, operations, components, and does not exclude or prevent the presence of additional, unnamed steps, operations, components, features, elements known in the art or described in this work.

As used herein, the term "approximately" referring to a measurable value such as a parameter, an amount, a length of time, and the like includes variations in values of ±20% or less, preferably ±10% or less, more preferably ±5% or less, more preferably ±1% or less, and more preferably ±0.1% or less of the specified value, provided that these variations do not prevent the implementation of the present invention. It should be understood that the value to which the modifier "approximately" refers is also included in the scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise indicated, as used herein, the term "wt.%" (mass percent) refers to the relative weight of the respective component in terms of the total weight of the composition or the corresponding element of the composition.

Limitations of numeric ranges include all numbers and decimals contained within the range, as well as the specified limits, unless expressly stated or otherwise indicated.

When used in the context of the present invention, the term "and/or" refers to any possible combinations and covers any possible combinations of one or more of the respective specified elements, as well as the absence of combinations when interpreted in an alternative form ("or").

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective and technical result of the present invention is to create a simple and effective method for the production of a vegetable food product having a texture and appearance similar to minced meat and products from it, a balanced amino acid composition corresponding to or at least as close as possible to the composition of the "ideal" protein recommended FAO / WHO, as well as the optimal ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, and preferably enriched with vitamins B12 and D3.

The objective and technical result of the present invention is also to obtain a completely plant-based food product with an "ideal" protein (according to the recommendations of the FAO / WHO 2011), which, when eaten, will help build muscle mass, suitable for consumption by vegetarians and vegans, with a balanced amino acid composition, the optimal ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, and preferably enriched with vitamins B12 and D3, which are most deficient in people who do not include animal products in their diet, as well as people observing a religious fast.

As stated above, no single plant protein satisfies the requirements for an "ideal" protein. Therefore, in order to achieve a balanced amino acid composition of a plant-based food product that replaces meat, it is necessary to use a combination of several different plant proteins, which, due to the different amounts of essential amino acids in their composition, complement each other, resulting in a product with an “ideal” protein (according to FAO / WHO). The author of the present invention found that such a balanced amino acid composition can be obtained by combining certain amounts of soy, pea and rice protein.

The main forms of protein preparations are defatted flour, concentrate and isolate. Defatted flour contains from 56 to 59% protein, the protein content in protein concentrates ranges from 65 to 72%, and preparations with a protein content of at least 90% are classified as protein isolates.

The author of the present invention has found that the most optimal combination for solving the problem will be a combination that includes (in terms of the total weight of the combination of proteins):

- from 25 to 35 wt.% pea protein isolate,

- from 10 to 20 wt.% rice protein isolate and

- from 50 to 60 wt.% soy protein concentrate.

Thanks to the use of a combination of pea, rice and soy proteins in this ratio, due to the different amounts of essential amino acids in their composition, these proteins complement each other, providing a balanced amino acid composition, resulting in a product with an “ideal” protein that can serve as a complete replacement for meat products , which, when eaten, will help build muscle mass.

In order for a vegetable food product to have a texture and appearance similar to minced meat, it is necessary to use a combination of these proteins in the form of a texturate. This vegetable protein texture is obtained by coextrusion of a mixture of the indicated pea protein isolate, rice protein isolate and soy protein concentrate in the indicated amounts.

In order for a plant-based food product to serve as a complete substitute for meat products, it must also have a balanced fatty acid composition, in particular, the optimal ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as the ratio of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. The inventor of the present invention has found that such a balanced fatty acid composition can be obtained by combining certain amounts of rapeseed, coconut and sunflower oils, namely (in terms of the total weight of the combination of oils):

- from 19 to 29 wt.% sunflower oil,

- from 37 to 47 wt.% rapeseed oil and

- from 29 to 39 wt.% coconut oil.

In order for a plant food product to serve as a complete substitute for meat products for people who do not consume animal products, such as vegetarians and vegans, it is also desirable to include vitamins B12 and D3 in the plant food product, which, according to the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (Federal Research Center nutrition, biotechnology and food safety) are the most deficient in such people.

In view of the above, the object of the present invention is a method for the production of a plant-based food product that replaces meat, comprising the following steps:

(a) hydration of a vegetable protein texturate, including soy protein, pea protein and rice protein;

(b) preparing an emulsion of vegetable oils, including sunflower, rapeseed and coconut oils;

(c) preparation of ground beef by mixing hydrated vegetable protein texturate with vegetable oil emulsion.

Vegetable protein texture is obtained by co-extrusion of a mixture of pea protein isolate, rice protein isolate and soy protein concentrate in the following ratio of components (in terms of the total weight of the specified mixture):

from 25 to 35 wt.% pea protein isolate,

from 10 to 20 wt.% rice protein isolate and

from 50 to 60 wt.% soy protein concentrate.

The specific percentage of proteins in this mixture is chosen within the specified ranges, taking into account the specific protein content in the original plant material used, which may vary slightly depending on the source of the plant material (variety, growing conditions, production technology, etc.).

Preferably, the vegetable protein texturate mixture comprises (based on the total weight of said mixture):

from 29 to 31 wt.% pea protein isolate,

from 15 to 16 wt.% rice protein isolate and

from 54 to 56 wt.% soy protein concentrate;

Most preferably, the vegetable protein texturate mixture comprises (based on the total weight of said mixture):

30 wt.% pea protein isolate,

15 wt.% rice protein isolate and

55 wt.% soy protein concentrate.

The emulsion (combination) of vegetable oils includes vegetable oils in the following ratio (in terms of the total mass of vegetable oils):

from 19 to 29 wt.% sunflower oil,

from 37 to 47 wt.% rapeseed oil and

from 29 to 39 wt.% coconut oil.

The specific percentage of oils in this emulsion is chosen within the specified ranges, taking into account the specific content of fatty acids in the original plant material used, which may vary slightly depending on the source of the plant material (variety, growing conditions, oil production technology, etc.).

Preferably, the vegetable oil emulsion comprises vegetable oils in the following ratio (based on the total weight of vegetable oils):

from 23 to 25 wt.% sunflower oil,

from 41 to 43 wt.% rapeseed oil and

from 33 to 35 wt.% coconut oil.

Most preferably, the vegetable oil emulsion comprises vegetable oils in the following ratio (based on the total weight of vegetable oils):

24 wt.% sunflower oil,

42 wt.% rapeseed oil and

34 wt.% coconut oil.

The inventor has found that in order to obtain a food product having a texture and appearance similar to minced meat, steps (a), (b) and (c) must be carried out in a special way.

Therefore, the method according to the invention is characterized by the following features.

In step (a), the hydration of the vegetable protein texturate described above includes the following steps:

(a1) mixing the dry vegetable protein texturate with water and mixing them;

(a2) curing the resulting mixture to obtain a hydrated vegetable protein texturate.

In order for the resulting product to have a color similar to the color of natural meat, it can be given this color using a food coloring, for example, caramel coloring, beetroot extract or other coloring, preferably a natural coloring of vegetable origin.

In order for the resulting product to serve as a full-fledged substitute for meat in people who do not include animal products in their diet, it is preferable to additionally enrich it with vitamins that are most deficient in such people, in particular, vitamins B12 and D3.

Therefore, if it is necessary to introduce dyes and vitamins into the composition of the product, before mixing the dry texturate of vegetable proteins with water, in step (a1), one or more food dyes and / or water-soluble vitamins, preferably representing vitamins B12 and D3, are dissolved in water in which then the texturate will be hydrated.

Binders such as cellulose, its derivatives, and/or mixtures thereof must be used to provide the desired texture that mimics the texture of natural minced meat and appropriate organoleptic properties. Cellulose derivatives can be selected from derivatives approved for use as food additives, such as methylcellulose E461, ethylcellulose E462, hydroxypropylcellulose E463, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose E464, methylethylcellulose E465, sodium carboxymethylcellulose E466, ethylhydroxyethylcellulose E467. These substances serve as emulsifiers, texturizers, and also prevent caking and clumping. According to the present invention, these binders are introduced into the product during the preparation of the oil emulsion. In order to ensure even distribution of the binders in the water, mixing is carried out at a medium speed, preferably about 100 rpm, after they have been introduced into the water. It is understood that the mode of mixing may vary depending on the equipment used and the volume of the load.

Dietary fibers (fiber) can also be added to the product to provide the desired texture that mimics the texture of natural minced meat and the corresponding organoleptic properties. Dietary fibers, in addition, regulate peristalsis, lower blood cholesterol levels, bind bile acids, normalize the composition of the microflora of the digestive system, exhibit a prebiotic effect - they contribute to the bacterial synthesis of vitamins B2, B6, PP.

In order to prevent undesirable processes of destruction of amino acids during technological processing and to ensure a long shelf life of the resulting product, it is desirable to prepare it at a temperature not higher than ambient temperature when implementing the method.

Therefore, the dissolution of the dye and vitamins, the hydration of the texturate, the mixing of binders with water is preferably carried out at ambient temperature and below, most preferably at a temperature of +15°C to +17°C. At this temperature, it usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes to achieve complete hydration of the texturate (in step (a2)) . The time required for hydration may vary depending on the temperature and particle size of the texturate.

At the same time, it should be taken into account that the temperature of the start of solidification of coconut oil, which must be introduced into the emulsion to provide the desired fatty acid composition, is 24 ° C, and its melting point is from 26 ° C to 28 ° C, and to prepare a homogeneous emulsion of three oils used in the process, it is necessary that all oils are in a liquid state. Therefore, to prepare an emulsion, it is necessary to melt the coconut oil before mixing it with other oils. Melting coconut oil is carried out at a temperature above its melting point, preferably at a temperature of from +35°C to +40°C.

In view of the above, in stage (b) the preparation of an emulsion of vegetable oils includes the following steps:

(b1) introducing binder components selected from cellulose, its derivatives and mixtures thereof into water, and mixing until a homogeneous mass is obtained;

(b2) melting coconut oil to a liquid consistency;

(b3) adding sunflower oil and rapeseed oil to the melted coconut oil and mixing said oils;

(b4) gradual addition of a mixture of oils to a previously prepared mixture of water with binders with vigorous stirring; preferably the stirring speed in this step is from 500 rpm. up to 700 rpm, and it should be understood that this speed may vary depending on the equipment used and the volume of the load;

(b5) after the entire mixture of oils is added to the mixture of water with binders, the mixture is emulsified with vigorous stirring until an emulsion is formed in the form of a thick white mass.

In the last stage of emulsification, mixing is preferably carried out with the maximum intensity that the equipment used allows. Preferably, it is carried out at a speed of from about 1000 rpm. up to approximately 3000 rpm. or more, in particular about 2500 rpm. Under this mode, an emulsion of the desired consistency is usually formed in about 5-7 minutes.

To facilitate the formation of the emulsion in step (b), an emulsifier, lecithin, preferably soy lecithin, may be added. In this case, lecithin is added to the melted coconut oil after step (b2) and before step (b3), and the resulting mixture is stirred until the lecithin is completely dissolved.

After preparing the hydrated textured vegetable proteins and the vegetable oil emulsion as described above, minced meat is prepared.

For the preparation of minced meat in the above stage (c), the following steps are carried out:

(c1) loading the mixer with hydrated vegetable protein texturate;

(c2) adding the emulsion of vegetable oils to the mixer and mixing until a homogeneous mass of a vegetable food product replacing meat is obtained in the form of minced meat.

In order to give the minced meat the desired taste and smell, salt, spices and/or flavoring substances can be introduced into the minced meat at the stage of minced meat preparation. Alternatively, these components may not be added during the preparation of minced meat, but supplied separately or together with the finished minced meat, for example, to be added by the consumer according to his taste when preparing the minced meat dish on his own. If these components are introduced into minced meat during its preparation, then after step (c1) and before step (c2), dry components, including salt, spices and / or flavoring substances, are added to the hydrated vegetable protein texture, and the texture is mixed with dry components until homogeneous mass.

If the vegetable food product obtained as a result of the steps described above, which replaces meat, is supposed to be supplied in the form of minced meat in a chilled form to the trade network or for the subsequent preparation of semi-finished products from it, then after the preparation of minced meat is completed, as described above, the finished minced meat is cooled to a temperature not exceeding +6°C and packaged if necessary.

If minced meat is supposed to be delivered to the trading network in a frozen form or stored for subsequent preparation of semi-finished products from it, then the method according to the invention may additionally include the steps of shaping, freezing and / or packaging.

The shelf life of the product obtained by the method described above, at a temperature not exceeding minus 18°C is 180 days.

Most of the process steps according to the invention (with the exception of the texturate preparation step) do not require the use of high pressure, vacuum or high temperatures to prepare the product, and therefore the process can be carried out cost-effectively without high energy costs.

The object of the present invention is also a vegetable food product replacing meat obtained by the method described above.

Subject to the above ratios of proteins in texturate and oils in a combination of oils, which determine the achievement of the technical result of the claimed invention, the amounts of ingredients used to obtain the product may vary depending on the desired properties and the type of product obtained within a fairly wide range.

Thus, the total amount of dry texturate of vegetable proteins used in step (a1) to obtain a product can be from 5 wt.% to 80 wt.% dry texturate, calculated on the total mass of the final product, and in the manufacture of certain types of product (for example, such as vegetable nuggets) can be even less than 5 wt.%, for example, from 1 wt.% to 50 wt.%.

The total amount of the combination of vegetable oils can be from 3 wt.% to 38 wt.% in terms of the total weight of the final product.

Lecithin (preferably soy lecithin) is used in an amount effective to stabilize the oil emulsion, for example, in an amount of from 0.01 wt.% to 1 wt.%, based on the total weight of the final product.

Cellulose and its derivatives can be used in an amount of from 0.1 wt.% to 5 wt.% in terms of the total weight of the final product.

Components that are not mandatory in the composition of the product, if necessary, their introduction into its composition can be used in the quantities described below, where the quantities are indicated in terms of the total weight of the final product.

Dietary fiber can be used in an amount of from 0.05 wt.% to 5 wt.%.

The amount of vitamin B12 can be from 0.000015 wt.% to 0.00003 wt.%, preferably 0.00002 wt.%, and the amount of vitamin D3 can be from 0.0005 wt.% to 0.001 wt.%, preferably 0, 0005 mass%. Biotin (vitamin B7) may also be added to the product during manufacture, in particular in an amount of 0.00001 wt.% to 0.00002 wt.%.

One or more food colorings are used in an amount effective to produce the desired color in the final product. For example, caramel color can be used in an amount of from 0.05 wt.% to 1 wt.%, beetroot extract - in an amount of from 0.05 wt.% to 2.7 wt.%. These colors can be used alone or together or in combination with other food colors to achieve the desired product color.

Salt, spices and flavoring substances contribute in an amount effective to obtain the desired flavor properties of the final product. In particular, the amount of salt can be up to 4 wt.%, spices - up to 3.5 wt.%, and flavoring substances - from 0.1 wt.% to 10 wt.%. As flavoring substances, onion can be included in the product formulation, for example, in an amount of from 0.1 wt.% to 7 wt.%.

In the manufacture of various variations of the food product to increase the nutritional value or impart the desired consistency, in addition to the texturate described above from a combination of vegetable proteins, soy protein isolate can additionally be added to the recipe in amounts from 0.2 wt.% to 3 wt.% or from 0, 5 wt.% to 5 wt.%.

Based on the above, a general (but not limiting) formulation of a product made by the process of the invention can be represented as follows:

In this case, the composition and ratio of vegetable proteins in vegetable protein texturate, as well as the composition and ratio of oils in a combination of vegetable oils, should correspond to that described above.

The meat replacement vegetable food product according to the invention can be in the form of minced meat, frozen or chilled, preferably frozen.

Also, a vegetable food product that replaces meat, obtained by the method according to the invention, can be a semi-finished product, and can be made in the form of cutlets, burger patties, nuggets, meatballs.

A vegetable food product that replaces meat, obtained by the method according to the invention and made in the form of minced meat, can be used as a filling for dumplings, manti, khinkali, pancakes, chebureks or other similar products.

The plant-based meat replacement food product according to the invention preferably does not contain any animal products and can be used to fully replace meat products by people who do not include animal products in their diet, such as vegetarians and vegans.

It should be noted that, as indicated above, the composition of the "ideal" protein established by the FAO / FHO is periodically reviewed and adjusted. In addition, the protein content may vary slightly in the original plant material used depending on the source of this plant material (variety, growing conditions, production technology, etc.). Also, depending on the source of vegetable raw materials, the composition of fatty acids in the vegetable oils used may vary slightly.

However, a person skilled in the art should understand that the method for producing a plant-based meat replacement food product according to the present invention is capable of producing such a product with variations in the amino acid and fatty acid composition of the raw material and product due to the above reasons, and that this composition can be adjusted as desired within the stated volume by appropriately changing the percentage of proteins in the protein mixture and oils in the oil combination in order to provide a product with a balanced amino acid composition corresponding to the "ideal" protein and the optimal ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids acids with variations in the amino acid and fatty acid composition of the raw material and product due to the above reasons.

At the same time, the main steps of the method, their sequence, the qualitative and quantitative composition of proteins in a protein mixture and oils in a combination of oils, as well as other ingredients reflected in the attached claims, provide a product that has not only the desired amino acid and fatty acid composition, but also the texture , which best imitates the texture of minced meat from natural minced meat.

The invention is further described with reference to illustrative examples that demonstrate embodiments of the invention, but are not intended to limit the claimed scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

INFORMATION CONFIRMING THE POSSIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION

Example 1

Production of a plant-based food product that replaces meat

1. Preparation of Textured Vegetable Proteins

One transport trolley is loaded with the estimated amount of vegetable texturate obtained by co-extrusion of a mixture including 30 wt.% pea protein isolate, 15 wt.% rice protein isolate and 55 wt.% soy protein concentrate.

The calculated amount of water with a temperature of +15°C to +17°C, dye, dietary fiber and water-soluble vitamins, if used, is loaded into the second transport trolley, then mixed manually with a spatula until the soluble dry components are completely dissolved.

After that, a pre-weighed texturate and a solution of water with a dye and vitamins are transferred to a paddle mixer, evenly mixed and kept until the texturate is hydrated for 10-15 minutes.

2. Preparation of the emulsion

The amount of oils is calculated based on the fact that the finished emulsion contains: 24 wt.% sunflower oil, 42 wt.% rapeseed oil and 34 wt.% coconut oil.

The estimated amount of water with a temperature of +15°C to +17°C is added to the mixer bowl. At an average speed (100 rpm), the required amount of binders is added to the water and the mixture is stirred until a homogeneous mass without lumps is obtained.

In a fat melter at a temperature of +35°C to +40°C, the calculated amount of coconut oil is melted to a liquid consistency, from where the oil flows into a container for blending oils. Then, with a constantly running stirrer, the calculated amount of lecithin is added to the melted butter, if necessary. The mixture is stirred until the lecithin is completely dissolved.

Add the estimated amount of sunflower and rapeseed oils to the coconut oil in the container for blending oils, the mixture is stirred for 3-5 minutes. The required amount of a blend of oils is weighed into canisters. Then, a mixture of oils is gradually added in a thin stream to a mixture of water with binders at increased speeds (500 - 700 rpm).

After making the entire volume of oil, the mixture is emulsified at maximum speed (3000 rpm) until a white thick mass is formed within 5 - 7 minutes.

3. Compilation of minced meat

When preparing minced meat, the ingredients are loaded into the mixer in the following sequence:

1) Hydrated texturate;

2) Dry ingredients (salt, spices, flavoring substances);

3) Emulsion of oils.

After adding all the dry ingredients to the prepared texturate, the minced meat is mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained for 4 minutes. Then the emulsion is added, and the minced meat is mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained for 6 minutes. The temperature of the finished meat should not exceed +15°C.

4, Shaping, freezing, packaging and storage

If necessary, the minced meat is formed, frozen, packaged and sent for storage.

Freezing is preferably carried out in blast freezers at a temperature of minus 30°C to minus 35°C. Freezing of semi-finished products is usually carried out until the temperature inside the product is not higher than minus 18°C. The time required to reach this temperature in blast freezing is usually around 1.5 hours, but may vary depending on the characteristics of the equipment, the dimensions of the package and the volume of the load.

Frozen semi-finished products are packaged according to approved requirements for each market.

Alternatively, the chilled minced meat may be sent for the subsequent manufacture of semi-finished products from it at the same enterprise, which can also be frozen after their manufacture. Convenience products such as cutlets, burger patties, nuggets, meatballs, spring rolls, dumplings, manti, chebureks or other similar products can be made from said minced meat by methods known in the food industry.

Vegetable semi-finished products, packed in a transport package, are transferred to a storage room with a temperature not higher than minus 18°C.

Example 2

The following are plant-based meat replacement food formulations that were prepared under production conditions using the method of the present invention as described in Example 1.

For all of these products, a plant protein texturate of the composition indicated in Example 1 was pre-prepared by extrusion.

Products made according to the above formulations have a texture and appearance similar to minced meat and corresponding molded products made from it. These products are made exclusively from vegetable raw materials and at the same time they have a balanced amino acid composition corresponding to the composition of the "ideal" protein recommended by the FAO / WHO in 2011, as well as the optimal ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, and therefore can serve a complete replacement for meat products for people who do not include animal products in their diet, such as vegetarians and vegans. In addition, these products are additionally enriched with vitamins B12 and D3, which are the most deficient in such people.

The resulting products can be stored at a temperature not exceeding minus 18°C for at least 180 days.

Claims (60)

1. A method for the production of a food product that replaces meat, based on vegetable raw materials, characterized in that it includes the following steps: (a) hydration of vegetable protein texturate, comprising the following steps: (a1) mixing the dry vegetable protein texturate with water and mixing them; (a2) curing the resulting mixture to form a hydrated vegetable protein texturate; (b) preparing an emulsion of vegetable oils, including the following steps: (b1) introducing binder components selected from cellulose, its derivatives and mixtures thereof into water, and mixing until a homogeneous mass is obtained; (b2) melting coconut oil to a liquid consistency; (b3) adding sunflower oil and rapeseed oil to the melted coconut oil and mixing said oils; (b4) gradual addition of a mixture of oils to a previously prepared mixture of water with binders with vigorous stirring; (b5) after adding the entire mixture of oils to the mixture of water with binders - emulsifying the mixture with vigorous stirring until an emulsion is formed in the form of a thick white mass; (c) preparation of minced meat by mixing hydrated vegetable protein texturate with vegetable oil emulsion, comprising the following steps: (c1) loading the mixer with hydrated vegetable protein texturate; (c2) introducing into the mixer an emulsion of vegetable oils and mixing until a homogeneous mass of a vegetable food product replacing meat is obtained in the form of minced meat; and Vegetable protein texture is obtained by co-extrusion of a mixture of pea protein isolate, rice protein isolate and soy protein concentrate in the following ratio of initial components in terms of the total weight of texturate: from 25 to 35 wt.% pea protein isolate, from 10 to 20 wt.% rice protein isolate and from 50 to 60 wt.% soy protein concentrate; and the emulsion of vegetable oils includes vegetable oils in the following ratio of initial components in terms of the total mass of vegetable oils: from 19 to 29 wt.% sunflower oil, from 37 to 47 wt.% rapeseed oil and from 29 to 39 wt.% coconut oil. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the texture of vegetable proteins is obtained by co-extrusion of a mixture of proteins with the following ratio of the initial components in terms of the total weight of the texture: from 29 to 31 wt.% pea protein isolate, from 15 to 16 wt.% rice protein isolate and from 54 to 56 wt.% soy protein concentrate; preferably: 30 wt.% pea protein isolate, 15 wt% rice protein isolate and 55 wt.% soy protein concentrate. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the vegetable oil emulsion includes vegetable oils in the following ratio, calculated on the total mass of vegetable oils: from 23 to 25 wt.% sunflower oil, from 41 to 43 wt.% rapeseed oil and from 33 to 35 wt.% coconut oil; preferably: 24 wt.% sunflower oil, 42 wt.% rapeseed oil and 34 wt.% coconut oil. 4. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-3, characterized in that before mixing the dry texturate of vegetable proteins with water in step (a1), one or more food dyes and/or water-soluble vitamins are dissolved in water and/or dietary fibers are introduced. 5.Sposob according to any one of paragraphs. 1-4, characterized in that after step (b2) and before step (b3), lecithin is added to the melted coconut oil and the resulting mixture is stirred until the lecithin is completely dissolved. 6. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, characterized in that after step (c1) and before step (c2), dry components are added to the hydrated vegetable protein texture, including salt, spices and/or flavoring substances, and the texture is mixed with dry components until a homogeneous mass is obtained. 7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the water-soluble vitamins are selected from vitamin B12, vitamin D3 and vitamin B7. 8. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-7, characterized in that steps (a1), (a2) and (b1) are carried out at a temperature of from 15 to 17°C. 9. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-8, characterized in that the exposure in step (a2) is carried out for 10 to 15 minutes. 10. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-9, characterized in that the melting of coconut oil in step (b2) is carried out at a temperature of from 35 to 40°C. 11. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-10, characterized in that intensive mixing in step (b4) is carried out at a speed of 500 to 700 rpm. 12. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-11, characterized in that intensive mixing in step (b5) is carried out at a speed of 1000 to 3000 rpm, in particular 2500 rpm. 13. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12, characterized in that the finished stuffing is cooled to a temperature not exceeding 6°C. 14. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-13, characterized in that the method further includes the steps of shaping, freezing and/or packaging. 15. A food product that replaces meat, based on vegetable raw materials, obtained by the method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-14, characterized in that it includes: vegetable protein texturate obtained by co-extrusion of a mixture of proteins in the following ratio, calculated on the total weight of the texturate: from 25 to 35 wt.% pea protein isolate, from 10 to 20 wt.% rice protein isolate and from 50 to 60 wt.% soy protein concentrate; and a vegetable oil emulsion comprising vegetable oils in the following ratio, based on the total mass of vegetable oils: from 19 to 29 wt.% sunflower oil, from 37 to 47 wt.% rapeseed oil and from 29 to 39 wt.% coconut oil. 16. A food product according to claim 15, characterized in that it is minced meat. 17. A food product according to claim 15, characterized in that it is a cutlet. 18. A food product according to claim 15, characterized in that it is a burger patty.