WO2021121699A1

WO2021121699A1 - Milk substitute and method for producing same

Info

Publication number: WO2021121699A1
Application number: PCT/EP2020/077243
Authority: WO
Inventors: Birgit GUILLEAUME; Martin Hahn; Birgit Steck
Original assignee: Gelita Ag
Priority date: 2019-12-17
Filing date: 2020-09-29
Publication date: 2021-06-24
Also published as: DE102019134810A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a milk substitute containing 1 to 4 wt.% of vegetable fat; 2 to 5 wt.% of collagen hydrolysate; 3 to 6 wt.% of carbohydrate; and 80 to 94 wt.% of water, wherein the vegetable fat is in the form of an oil-in-water emulsion and the amount of collagen hydrolysate is between 70 and 75 wt.% of the amount of carbohydrate. The invention further relates to a method for producing the milk substitute, comprising the steps of: - mixing the vegetable fat, collagen hydrolysate, carbohydrate, water and optionally further components; - heating the mixture to a temperature of 60 to 90°C, preferably 75 to 85°C; and - homogenizing the mixture, preferably by high-pressure homogenization at a pressure of 150 to 350 bar.

Description

Milk substitute product and method of manufacture

The present invention relates to a milk substitute product.

The invention also relates to a method for producing this milk substitute product.

A growing number of consumers who cannot tolerate cow's milk due to lactose intolerance or an allergy are resorting to milk substitute products instead, be it for direct consumption or for the preparation of meals. A large number of such products are now known, which are usually made from a certain vegetable raw material as the essential starting material, such as soy milk, oat milk, almond milk or coconut milk. These products are lactose-free and some are also gluten-free.

While these plant-based milk substitutes are more or less similar to the appearance and taste of cow's milk, there are considerable differences in the nutritional profile, especially in the ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats to one another. While the protein content of cow's milk is around 70 to 75% by weight of the carbohydrate content, this ratio is significantly lower for many plant-based substitute products, but higher for soy milk. The fat content, which roughly corresponds to the protein content in normal whole milk, is usually significantly reduced in the substitute products in relation to the carbohydrate content.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of proposing a milk substitute product and a method for its production in which a nutritional profile can be realized which essentially corresponds to that of cow's milk. According to the invention, this object is achieved by a milk substitute product which comprises:

1 to 4% by weight of vegetable fat;

2 to 5% by weight collagen hydrolyzate;

3 to 6 wt% carbohydrate; and

80 to 97% by weight of water, preferably 80 to 94% by weight, the vegetable fat being present as an oil-in-water emulsion, and the amount of collagen hydrolyzate being between 70 and 75% by weight of the amount of carbohydrate.

In contrast to the previously known milk substitute products, according to the invention, not a single (vegetable) main raw material is used, the nutritional profile of which is predetermined by nature, but the essential components fat, protein (or protein hydrolyzate) and carbohydrate are provided as individual components and together mixed. In this way, the nutritional profile of cow's milk can be adjusted, in particular by adding an amount of collagen hydrolyzate between 70 and 75% by weight of the amount of carbohydrate.

The total energy content of the milk substitute product can also be adapted to that of cow's milk.

Like most known milk substitute products, the product according to the invention is lactose-free, and preferably also gluten-free. A further advantage is that the milk substitute product according to the invention can actually be produced completely free of lactose, while, for example, the "lactose-free milk" obtained from cow's milk by removing lactose can have a residual content of up to 0.1% by weight of lactose .

According to the invention, the milk substitute product contains collagen hydrolyzate instead of a protein, that is to say a breakdown product of the animal connective tissue protein collagen. In terms of nutritional value, this hydrolytic ab- construction of collagen to peptides no difference. Apart from its nutritional value as a source of amino acids, collagen hydrolyzate has positive physiological effects: in particular, it has long been known that the ingestion of collagen hydrolyzate has a positive effect on the health of bones, joints and skin by increasing the activity of collagen-forming Cells in these tissue types are stimulated.

Apart from these advantages of collagen hydrolyzate under nutritional physiological weight points, another essential advantage of the invention is that the collagen hydrolyzate in the milk substitute product acts as a stabilizer, i.e. it stabilizes the emulsion of the vegetable fat in the water. In the case of purely plant-based milk substitute products, a separate stabilizer (e.g. locust bean gum or gellan) must typically be added for this purpose, which in principle is not required in the present invention.

The collagen hydrolyzate for the milk substitute product according to the invention is preferably produced by enzymatic hydrolysis of a collagen-containing starting material. In particular, endopeptidases or exopeptidases of microbial or plant origin are used for this hydrolysis.

By selecting the peptidases and the hydrolysis conditions, collagen hydrolysates can be produced in various molecular weight ranges.

The collagen-containing starting material is usually selected from the skin or bones of vertebrates, preferably from mammals or birds, and in particular from the skin of cattle or pigs (beef split or pig skin). Alternatively, the collagen-containing starting material can be selected from the skin, bones and / or scales of fish, especially cold or warm water fish. The collagen hydrolyzate can either be produced from these starting materials in a one-step process or via the intermediate gelatin, in which case both type A and type B gelatin can be used.

Alternatively, the collagen hydrolyzate for the milk substitute product according to the invention can be produced by recombinant gene expression. By using natural collagen sequences, especially from cattle or pigs, and expressing them in genetically modified cells (e.g. yeast, bacteria or plant cells, especially tobacco), products can be produced that are essentially identical to the hydrolysis products of the corresponding collagen-containing raw materials. It is possible, please include to obtain a narrower or precisely predetermined molecular weight distribution.

The collagen hydrolyzate preferably has an average molecular weight of 500 to 15,000 Da, more preferably 1,000 to 8,000 Da. These details relate to the weight average molecular weight. In contrast to gelatine, collagen peptides in this size range are already readily soluble in cold water, with the collagen hydrolyzate also serving as a stabilizer for the emulsified vegetable fat contained in the milk substitute, as mentioned above.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the milk substitute product comprises 3.4 to 3.8% by weight of vegetable fat, 2.9 to 4.0% by weight of collagen hydrolyzate and 4.0 to 5.5% by weight of carbohydrate. These proportions correspond to the nutritional profile of cow's milk with natural or only slightly reduced fat content (whole milk).

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the milk substitute product according to the invention comprises 1.4 to 1.9% by weight of vegetable fat, 2.9 to 4.0% by weight of collagen hydrolyzate and 4.0 to 5.5% by weight of carbohydrate. These shares correspond to the nutritional profile of partially skimmed cow's milk (low-fat milk).

The vegetable fat, which in the context of the invention can be a single or several different vegetable fats, is present in the milk substitute product as an oil-in-water emulsion, as is also the case for the milk fat in cow's milk, in particular after a performed homogenization. The vegetable fats used can be liquid (vegetable oils) or solid (as in the case of coconut oil or coconut fat) at room temperature (20 ° C).

In principle, all vegetable fats can be used in the context of the invention, with tasteless fats being preferred as a rule. The vegetable fat is favorably selected from rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, walnut oil, olive oil and mixtures thereof. The respective fatty acid profile can also be taken into account when making the selection.

It is favorable if the milk substitute product further comprises one or more lecithins in a proportion of up to 1% by weight, preferably from 0.2 to 0.5% by weight. In particular, rapeseed lecithin, sunflower lecithin or soy lecithin can be used. The lecithins are on the one hand nutritionally beneficial, on the other hand they act as emulsifiers.

The carbohydrate component of the milk substitute product according to the invention can also be formed either by a single carbohydrate or a mixture of different carbohydrates. In a preferred embodiment, the carbohydrate is selected from one or more mono-, di-, oligo- and / or polysaccharides, at least 50% by weight of the total carbohydrate being monosaccharides and / or disaccharides. As a result, a slightly sweet taste component similar to that of cow's milk can be achieved.

Preferably at least 50% by weight, more preferably at least 70% by weight of the total carbohydrate is selected from glucose, sucrose, Fructose and mixtures thereof. These saccharides have an increasing sweetness in the order mentioned.

In particular, glucose can be added in pure form to the milk substitute product according to the invention, or as a component of a glucose syrup. In the latter case, it is preferred if the milk substitute product comprises, as carbohydrate, a glucose syrup with a dextrose equivalent of DE44 or more, preferably DE60 or more. In addition to glucose, the glucose syrup contains non-hydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed starch (poly- and oligosaccharides), which essentially have no sweetness.

Glucose and fructose can also be added to the milk substitute product according to the invention in the form of honey.

On the other hand, it is also possible to increase the sweet taste component independently of the proportion of carbohydrates in that the milk substitute product further comprises one or more sugar substitutes. These are preferably selected from the group comprising sugar alcohols, in particular glycerol, sorbitol and mannitol, as well as inulin, isomaltulose, oligofructose and trehalose.

It is also preferred if the milk substitute product according to the invention comprises one or more vitamins. These are preferably selected from the vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, E and K, i.e. from the vitamins also contained in cow's milk.

The calcium content of the milk substitute product according to the invention can also be advantageously adapted to that of cow's milk. For this purpose, the milk substitute product preferably comprises at least one soluble calcium salt, which is selected in particular from calcium citrate, calcium lactate, calcium gluconate, calcium lactate gluconate, calcium lactobionate and mixtures thereof. The present invention also relates to a method for producing the milk substitute product according to the invention, comprising the steps:

Mixing vegetable fat, collagen hydrolyzate, carbohydrate, water and optionally other components;

Heating the mixture to a temperature of from 60 to 90 ° C, preferably from 75 to 85 ° C; and

Homogenizing the mixture, preferably by means of high pressure homogenization at a pressure of 150 to 350 bar.

The homogenization reduces the size of the particles or droplets of the vegetable fat to such an extent that a stable emulsion of fat in water is created, with the collagen hydrolyzate acting as an emulsifier. The presence of this emulsion has a significant share in the typical sensory properties of milk, which can be approximated with the milk substitute product according to the invention.

The high-pressure homogenization preferred in the context of the process according to the invention is also known as a process step in the treatment of cow milk. The high-pressure homogenization is advantageously carried out in two or three steps in order to obtain good emulsion properties. It is preferred to work with an increasing pressure, e.g. with 200 bar in the first step and 300 bar in the second step.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, the homogenized milk substitute product is subjected to ultra-high temperature heating, preferably for 2 to 6 s at a temperature of 135 to 150.degree. This UHT process is also known from the processing of cow's milk in order to make the product germ-free and long-lasting (long-life milk). After the ultra-high temperature treatment, the milk substitute product can advantageously be subjected to a further high-pressure homogenization.

These and other advantages of the invention emerge from the following description of examples.

Show it:

Fig. 1: Nutrient profiles of cow's milk and various

Milk substitutes; and

2 and 3: Network diagrams for the sensory evaluation of milk substitute products according to the invention.

Examples

Example 1: Production of a milk substitute product according to the invention

To produce an exemplary milk substitute product according to the invention, the Kempenenten indicated in Table 1 were mixed at room temperature in order to obtain a pre-emulsion:

Table 1

The collagen hydrolyzate used for this and the following examples was a collagen hydrolyzate produced from bovine cleavage by enzymatic hydrolysis with an average molecular weight in the range of about 2,000 Da and sold by the applicant under the name VERISOL B.

The pre-emulsion was heated to 80 ° C. and homogenized twice at approx. 200 bar and once at approx. 300 bar with the aid of a high-pressure homogenizer. The milk substitute product obtained was then heated to 140 ° C. for approx. 3 s by means of a UHT system, immediately thereafter cooled down and homogenized again at approx. 200 bar.

Table 2 shows the nutritional profile of this milk substitute product compared to cow's milk (UHT whole milk) (nutritional information in accordance with EU Regulation No. 1196-2011):

Table 2

To illustrate the respective nutritional profiles, the proportions of fat, carbohydrates and protein (or collagen hydrolyzate) are shown in FIG Pie diagrams shown for whole milk with 3.5% by weight fat, for the milk substitute product according to the invention according to the above example, and for four plant-based milk substitute products according to the prior art. The percentages relate to the sum of the three named components.

In the milk substitute product according to the invention, the proportions of the three components essentially correspond to those of cow's milk, since they can be flexibly adjusted by the recipe. In contrast, soy milk has a higher protein content, while oat milk, almond milk and coconut milk have a significantly higher carbohydrate content. The fat content is reduced in all four herbal products.

Example 2: Production of a milk substitute product according to the invention

Another milk substitute product according to the invention was produced from the components given in Table 3:

Table 3

In comparison to Example 1 above, only coconut oil was replaced by rapeseed oil as a vegetable fat. The manufacturing process corresponds to that of Example 1. Example 3: Sensory evaluation of milk substitute products according to the invention

Two milk substitute products A and B according to the invention were prepared according to the method described in Example 1 from the components given in Table 4:

Table 4

"Collagen hydrolyzate A" is the collagen hydrolyzate from beef split gelatin (VERISOL B) used in Examples 1 and 2.

The "collagen hydrolyzate B" is a collagen hydrolyzate produced from bovine bones by enzymatic hydrolysis with an average molecular weight in the range of about 4,000 Da, which is sold by the applicant under the name FORTIBONE

The two milk substitutes were subjected to a sensory assessment by ten test persons. The test subjects each assessed the following five taste components on a scale from 1 (weakly pronounced) to 5 (strongly pronounced): a: flowery b: sweet c: bitter d: creamy e: sour f: animal-like

The mean values were calculated from the individual evaluations of the ten test persons and presented in a network diagram with six axes arranged in a star shape (for taste components a to f). Figure 2 shows the network diagram with triangles for product A and squares for product B.

It can be seen that the two products differ essentially only in the taste components “bitter” and “animal”, which are somewhat more pronounced in product A. Overall, both milk substitute products were rated as sensory pleasant by the test persons.

Example 4: Sensory evaluation in comparison to cow's milk

Three milk substitute products according to the invention C, D and E were prepared according to the method described in Example 1 from the components given in Table 5, various collagen hydrolysates and vegetable fats being used:

Table 5

The collagen hydrolyzates A and B are the same as in Example 3.

The three milk substitute products were subjected to a sensory assessment by seven test persons in direct comparison with cow's milk (long-life milk with 1.5% fat). The test subjects each assessed the following five taste components on a scale from 1 (weakly pronounced) to 5 (strongly pronounced): a: sweet b: bitter c: creamy d: sour e: animal

The mean values were calculated from the individual ratings of the seven test persons and presented in a network diagram with five axes arranged in a star shape (for taste components a to e). Figure 3 shows the network diagram with the following assignment of symbols:

Product C: triangles Product D: squares Product E: diamonds UHT milk: circles

It turns out that the sensory assessment of all three milk substitute products according to the invention agrees relatively well with that of cow's milk. Example 5: Making a Salad Cream

The principle according to the invention of an emulsion of vegetable fats in water stabilized by collagen hydrolyzate can also be transferred to other foods and preparations. The proportions of fat and protein can be varied over a relatively wide range.

A salad cream was made from the components given in Table 6:

Table 6

For this purpose, the collagen peptide was first dissolved in water, the guar gum was added and the mixture was mixed for 30 s with a hand blender. Then the rapeseed oil, mustard and vinegar were added and mixed again for 1 min with the hand blender.

Example 6: Cream cheese dip

A cream cheese dip based on lactose-free cream cheese and collagen hydrolyzate was made from the components according to Table 7: Table 7

For this purpose, the chopped onions were steamed in a pan with a little oil. The steamed onions, the collagen hydrolyzate, the chopped tomatoes and the spice mixture were mixed with the cream cheese.

Claims

Patent claims

1. A milk substitute product comprising

1 to 4% by weight of vegetable fat;

2 to 5% by weight collagen hydrolyzate;

3 to 6 wt% carbohydrate; and 80 to 94% by weight of water, the vegetable fat being present as an oil-in-water emulsion, and the amount of collagen hydrolyzate being between 70 and 75% by weight of the amount of carbohydrate.

2. Milk substitute product according to claim 1, wherein the collagen hydrolyzate has an average molecular weight of 500 to 15,000 Da, preferably 1,000 to 8,000 Da.

3. Milk substitute product according to claim 1 or 2, comprising

3.4 to 3.8% by weight of vegetable fat;

2.9 to 4.0% by weight collagen hydrolyzate; and 4.0 to 5.5 wt% carbohydrate.

4. Milk substitute product according to claim 1 or 2, comprising

1.4 to 1.9% by weight of vegetable fat;

2.9 to 4.0% by weight collagen hydrolyzate; and 4.0 to 5.5 wt% carbohydrate.

5. Milk substitute product according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the vegetable fat is selected from rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, soybean oil and mixtures thereof.

6. Milk replacement product according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more lecithins, in particular rapeseed lecithin, Sunflower lecithin or soy lecithin, in a proportion of up to 1% by weight, preferably from 0.2 to 0.5% by weight

7. Milk replacement product according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the carbohydrate is selected from one or more mono-, di-, oligo- and / or polysaccharides, and wherein at least 50% by weight of the total carbohydrate are monosaccharides and / or disaccharides.

8. Milk replacement product according to claim 7, wherein at least 50% by weight, preferably at least 70% by weight of the total carbohydrate are selected from glucose, sucrose, fructose and mixtures thereof.

9. Milk substitute product according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the milk substitute product comprises, as carbohydrate, a glucose syrup with a dextrose equivalent of DE44 or more, preferably DE60 or more.

10. Milk substitute product according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more sugar substitutes, which are preferably selected from the group comprising sugar alcohols, in particular glycerol, sorbitol and mannitol, as well as inulin, isomaltulose, oligofuctose and trehalose.

11. Milk substitute product according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more vitamins, which are preferably selected from vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, E and K.

12. Milk substitute product according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one soluble calcium salt, which is selected in particular from calcium citrate, calcium lactate, calcium gluconate, calcium lactate gluconate, calcium lactobionate and mixtures thereof.

13. A method for producing a milk substitute product according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps: Mixing vegetable fat, collagen hydrolyzate, carbohydrate, water and optionally other components;

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the high-pressure homogenization is carried out in two or three steps, preferably with an increasing pressure.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the homogenized milk substitute product is subjected to ultra-high temperature heating, preferably for 2 to 6 s at a temperature of 135 to 150 ° C.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the milk substitute product is subjected to a further high-pressure homogenization after the ultra-high-temperature heating.

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