WO2024108824A1

WO2024108824A1 - A method of preparing a base for a plant-based food, a base prepared therefrom and a plant-based food comprising the base

Info

Publication number: WO2024108824A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/081629
Authority: WO
Inventors: Guozhi JI; Xiaomin LI; Yang Dong; Yajun FEI
Original assignee: Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (group) Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2022-11-23
Filing date: 2023-03-15
Publication date: 2024-05-30
Also published as: CN118058385A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food, a base prepared therefrom and a plant-based food comprising the base. The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food comprises the following steps: (a) mixing and dispersing a plant protein or plant protein liquid with a solvent to obtain a mixed slurry; (b) performing solid-liquid separation on the mixed slurry obtained in step (a), preferably by centrifugation; (c) removing all or part of the solvent from the solid product obtained in step (b) to obtain a processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof.

Description

A METHOD OF PREPARING A BASE FOR A PLANT-BASED FOOD, A BASE PREPARED THEREFROM AND A PLANT-BASED FOOD COMPRISING THE BASE

Technical Field

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

Background Art

Plant-based foods refer to a new type of foods that are primarily derived from plants with replacement of animal proteins by plant proteins. With the changing lifestyles, awareness of sustainability, and rising lactose intolerance among the consumers, there is an increasing market demand for plant-based foods, especially plant-based dairy products.

At present, plant-based dairy products mainly employ protein-containing plant raw materials, such as soybeans and almonds, which are processed to extract the proteins therein and then the proteins are formulated into dairy-like products.

However, the existing plant-based dairy products all have strong flavor characteristics of plant-based raw materials themselves (for example, the flavor of soybeans, peas, oats, almonds, walnuts, etc. ) , and do not completely imitate milk products in terms of the smell, taste, mouthfeel and such.

In the prior art, the methods for eliminating the undesired flavor of plant-based dairy products mainly comprise: 1. improving raw materials, discovering and cultivating new varieties of beans lacking lipoxidase; 2. deactivating or inactivating lipoxidase during processing procedure through physical, chemical or biological methods; 3. eliminating or covering the undesired flavor during the last stage of the processing of the bean milk through vacuum deodorization or adding flavor-covering substances.

A commonly used physical method in production and processing is heat treatment including dry heat method, wet heat method, blanching method and heat grinding method, etc. The lipoxidase is inhibited or deactivated through heating for the purpose of reducing any undesired bean flavors. However, excessive heat treatment may cause protein denaturation and browning of products, thereby affecting the nutritional value of bean milk.

Chemical methods include acid-base treatment, addition of antioxidants or reducing agents, and addition of metal chelating agents and the like, which inhibit the activity of lipoxidase mainly by adjusting the pH values, destroying the disulfide bonds and sulfhydryl groups of the lipoxidase molecule, and complexing iron ions.

Biological methods include enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. The undesired smell is mainly eliminated by adding an appropriate amount of proteases or leavening agents to the bean milk.

However, the existing methods do not effectively eliminate the flavors of the plants themselves or the undesired flavors produced during processing procedure.

Therefore, there is still a need to provide a simple preparation method that effectively eliminates the plant-based characteristic flavors (that is the flavor characteristics of plant-based raw materials themselves, such as beany, cerealy, oily, nutty, etc. ) , and imitates milk products in terms of the smell, taste, mouthfeel and such.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention is accomplished in view of the above problems.

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

(a) mixing and dispersing a plant protein or plant protein liquid with a solvent to obtain a mixed slurry;

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

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

The method further comprises compounding the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof with fat, carbohydrate, water, and optional adjuvant based on the following composition to obtain a compounded composition:

the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof, which accounts for 1%-6%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 2.5%-4%of the compounded composition based on the protein content of the plant protein;

the fat, which accounts for 1%-10%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 3%-4.5%of the compounded composition;

the carbohydrate, which accounts for 0.5-10%, preferably 1%-5%, more preferably 1.5%-3.5%of the compounded composition;

the adjuvant, which accounts for 0-15%, preferably 0.1%-10%, more preferably 0.3%-0.5%of the compounded composition;

and the remainder of the water,

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

According to another aspect of the present invention, the invention relates to a base obtained by the method described above.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the invention relates to a plant-based food comprising the base.

The present inventors unexpectedly found that when the plant protein is processed with a specific solvent, and the solvent-processed plant protein is compounded into a base with a specific formulation, the obtained base has significantly reduced plant-based characteristic flavors (for example, beany, cerealy, oily, nutty, etc. ) , and is closer to the milk products in overall sensory. The base is highly suitable to apply in the production of a variety of plant-based foods such as plant-based milk, plant-based yogurt, plant-based cheese, plant-based milk powder, and plant-based ice cream.

Accordingly, the present invention comprises the following specific embodiments.

1. A method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food, comprising the steps of:

(a) mixing and dispersing a plant protein or plant protein liquid with a solvent to obtain a mixed slurry, the solvent being selected from alcohol, a mixed solvent of alcohol and water, alkane, supercritical carbon dioxide, and the combination thereof;

(b) performing solid-liquid separation on the mixed slurry obtained in step (a) , preferably by centrifugation separation, precipitation separation, and filtration separation;

(c) removing all or part of the solvent from the solid product obtained in step (b) to obtain a processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof; and

(d) compounding the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof with fat, carbohydrate, water, and optional adjuvant based on the following composition to obtain a compounded composition:

and the remainder of the water,

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

wherein the fat is preferably selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, palm oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and the combination thereof, more preferably selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, canola oil, flaxseed oil, and the combination thereof;

the carbohydrate is preferably selected from white granulated sugar, erythritol, glucose, maple syrup, glutinous rice flour, and the combination thereof, more preferably maple syrup;

the adjuvant is preferably selected from emulsifier, defoamer, nutrition enhancer, antioxidant, and the combination thereof.

2. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to item 1, wherein the compounding is carried out by the following: mixing and dispersing the fat with the emulsifier to obtain a pre-emulsified fat material, then compounding the pre-emulsified fat material with the other components of the compounded composition, preferably the emulsifier being a phospholipid,

wherein the mixing and dispersing the fat and the emulsifier is preformed preferably under the shearing treatment of 1500-20000 rad/min, more preferably 3000-10000 rad/min, and preferably at 15-35℃, more preferably 20-30℃.

3. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to item 1, further comprising a step (e) in which the compounded composition is blended, sheared and volume-controlled, and then the volume-controlled material is sterilized,

preferably, the sterilization is pasteurization, UHT sterilization, and the combination thereof, more preferably the combination of pasteurization and UHT sterilization.

4. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of items 1-3, wherein

the alcohol is selected from C2-11 alkyl alcohols, more preferably from C2-C5 alkyl alcohols, for example, selected from ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, tert-butanol, n-pentanol, isoamyl alcohol, tert-amyl alcohol, neopentyl alcohol, n-hexanol, isohexanol, n-heptanol, isoheptanol, n-octanol, isooctyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and the combination thereof, more preferably selected from ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, and the combination thereof;

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

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

5. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of items 1-3, wherein

the plant protein is selected from soybean protein isolate, soybean protein, pea protein, mung bean protein, chickpea protein, peanut protein, corn protein, rice protein, nut protein, cereal protein, and the combination thereof, preferably selected from soybean protein isolate, soybean protein, pea protein, and the combination thereof;

the plant protein liquid is selected from soybean slurry, nut butter, nut slurry, cereal paste, cereal slurry, and the combination thereof.

6. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of items 1-3, wherein step (a) is carried out by the following: mixing and dispersing the plant protein or plant protein liquid with the solvent by stirring, preferably at 15-35℃, more preferably 20-30℃, preferably the weight ratio of the plant protein or plant protein liquid to the solvent is 1: 1-1: 20, preferably 1: 2-1: 10, and the time for the mixing and dispersing is preferably 10-100 minutes, more preferably 20-50 minutes.

7. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of items 1-3, wherein step (c) comprises: dispersing the solid product obtained from step (b) in water, optionally with shearing treatment, and then evaporation to obtain the plant protein or the concentrate thereof,

wherein the shearing treatment is carried out preferably under 3000-12000 rad/min, more preferably 5000-8000 rad/min, preferably for 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℃.

8. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of items 1-3, wherein in step (b) , the solid-liquid separation is carried out by centrifugation, preferably at 5000-20000 rad/min, more preferably at 9000-12000 rad/min, and preferably the time for centrifugation is 5-30 minutes, more preferably 7-15 minutes.

9. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of items 1-3, wherein removing all or part of the solvent refers to removing 50 wt%-100 wt%, preferably 98 wt%-100 wt%of the solvent remaining in the solid product.

10. The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food one or more reduced undesired flavors according to item 1, wherein the composition of the compounded composition is as follows:

the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof, which accounts for 2%-5%of the compounded composition based on the protein content of the plant protein;

the fat, which accounts for 2%-5%of the compounded composition;

the carbohydrate, which accounts for 1%-5%of the compounded composition;

the adjuvant, which accounts for 0-10%of the compounded composition;

and the remainder of the water,

wherein the plant protein is selected from soybean protein isolate, soybean protein, and pea protein;

the fat is selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, canola oil, and flaxseed oil;

the carbohydrate is selected from white granulated sugar, erythritol, glucose, maple syrup, and glutinous rice flour;

the adjuvant is selected from emulsifier, defoamer, nutrition enhancer, and antioxidant.

11. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to item 1, wherein the one or more reduced undesired flavors is a plant-based characteristic flavor.

12. The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to item 1, wherein the one or more reduced undesired flavors comprise of beany, cerealy, oily, nutty and/or powdery.

13. The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to item 1, wherein the base comprises reduced beany related hexanal, 2-pentylfuran, benzaldehyde, hexanol, 2, 5-dimethylpyrazine; earthy flavor related hexanal, 2-pentylfuran, trans-2-heptenal, 1-octen-3-ol; and/or oily related trans-2-octenal, nonanal, trans-2-nonenal, 2, 4-decadienal.

14. The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to item 1, wherein the base comprises hexanal in a content of less than 4.0 mg/L, preferably less than 3.0 mg/L, and 2-pentylfuran in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, decadienal in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, trans-2-nonenal in a content of less than 0.5 mg/L, preferably less than 0.3 mg/L, and trans-2-octenal in a content of less than 1.0 mg/L, preferably less than 0.5 mg/L.

15. The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to item 1, wherein the base has an improved degree of similarity with milk.

16. The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to item 15, wherein the base has an improved degree of similarity with milk, comprises of improved milky, creamy, fatty, thickness, smoothness, watery and/or sweetness.

17. A base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food, wherein the base is obtained by the method according to any one of items 1-16, the base comprising:

the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof, which accounts for 1%-6%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 2.5%-4%in the base based on the protein content of the plant protein;

the fat, which accounts for 1%-10%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 3%-4.5%in the base;

the carbohydrate, which accounts for 0.5-10%, preferably 1%-5%, more preferably 1.5%-3.5%in the base;

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

and the remainder of the water,

wherein the fat is preferably selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, canola oil, flaxseed oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and the combination thereof;

the carbohydrate is preferably selected from white granulated sugar, erythritol, glucose, maple syrup, glutinous rice flour, and the combination thereof;

18. A base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to item 17, wherein the one or more reduced undesired flavors is a plant-based characteristic flavor.

19. A base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to item 17, wherein the one or more reduced undesired flavors comprise of beany, cerealy, oily, nutty and/or powdery.

20. A base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to item 17, wherein the base has an improved degree of similarity with milk.

21. A base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to item 17, wherein the base has an improved degree of similarity with milk, comprises of improved milky, creamy, fatty, thickness, smoothness, watery and/or sweetness.

22. A base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food, comprising hexanal in a content of less than 4.0 mg/L, preferably less than 3.0 mg/L, and 2-pentylfuran in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, decadienal in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, trans-2-nonenal in a content of less than 0.5 mg/L, preferably less than 0.3 mg/L, and trans-2-octenal in a content of less than 1.0 mg/L, preferably less than 0.5 mg/L,

wherein said base is preferably obtained by the method according to any one of items 1-16.

23. A plant-based food prepared from the base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for the plant-based food obtained by the method according to any one of items 1-16 or the base for the plant-based food according to item 17 or 22, wherein the plant-based food is preferably a plant-based dairy product, more preferably plant-based milk, plant-based yoghurt, plant-based cheese, plant-based milk powder or plant-based ice cream.

Description of the Drawings

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

FIG. 1 depicts the flow chart of the preparation of base according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts the contents of plant-based characteristic flavors components for Comparative Example 1 and Example 1 separately; and

FIG. 3 depicts the changes of the contents of plant-based characteristic flavor components in soy protein samples before and after the extraction and wash with ethanol.

Detailed Description of the Invention

As is well known in the field of food processing, the term “base” as used herein refers to the main raw materials used to produce plant-based foods.

Unless otherwise stated, the contents given herein are all based on mass.

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

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to the skilled person 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 but not to limit the present invention, and in particular, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

I. Methods of Preparing a Base for Plant-based Foods

According to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention relates to a method of preparing a base for a plant-based food, 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 processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof is compounded with fat, carbohydrate, water, and optional adjuvant to obtain a compounded composition.

In one or more embodiments, the method according to the present invention may further comprise a step (e) , in which the compounded composition is blended, sheared, volume-controlled, and then the resulting volume-controlled material is sterilized to obtain the base for the plant-based food.

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

1.Step (a) : Solvent Processing

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

In one or more embodiments, the plant protein may be selected from soybean protein isolate, soybean protein, pea protein, mung bean protein, chickpea protein, peanut protein, corn protein, rice protein, nut protein, cereal protein, and the combination thereof, preferably selected from soybean protein isolate, soybean protein, pea protein, and the combination thereof;

In one or more embodiments, the plant protein liquid may be selected from soybean slurry, nut butter, nut slurry, cereal paste, cereal slurry, and the combination thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the solvent may be selected from alcohol, a mixed solvent of alcohol and water, alkane, supercritical carbon dioxide, and the combination thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the alcohol is selected from C2-11 alkyl alcohols, more preferably from C2-C5 alkyl alcohols, for example, selected from ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, tert-butanol, n-pentanol, isoamyl alcohol, tert-amyl alcohol, neopentyl alcohol, n-hexanol, isohexanol, n-heptanol, isoheptanol, n-octanol, isooctyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and the combination thereof, further preferably selected from ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, and the combination thereof.

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

In a preferred embodiment, the proportion of the alcohol in the mixed solvent is 10 wt%-90 wt%, more preferably 20 wt%-60 wt%, for example, which may be: 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 with a concentration of 10 wt%to 90 wt%, more preferably 20 wt%to 60 wt%, and the concentration 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, selected from butane, n-pentane, isopentane, tert-pentane, neopentane, n-hexane, isohexane, n-heptane, isoheptane, n-octane, isooctane, and the combination thereof, further preferably butane or n-hexane. Herein the butane may be liquefied butane.

In one or more embodiments, in step (a) , a plant protein or plant protein liquid is mixed and dispersed with a solvent by stirring to obtain a mixed slurry.

In one or more embodiments, in step (a) , the weight ratio of the plant protein or plant protein liquid to the solvent is 1: 1-1: 20, preferably 1: 2-1: 10, and the 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) , mixing and dispersing the plant protein or plant protein solution with a solvent may be carried out at 15-35℃, preferably 20-30℃, and the 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.

In one or more embodiments, in step (a) , the time for the mixing and dispersing is 10-100 minutes, more preferably 20-50 minutes, which may be, for example, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, 35 minutes, 40 minutes, 45 minutes, 50 minutes, 55 minutes, 60 minutes, 65 minutes, 70 minutes, 75 minutes, 80 minutes, 85 minutes, 90 minutes, 95 minutes, 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 step (b) : performing solid-liquid separation on the mixed slurry obtained in step (a) .

In one or more embodiments, in step (b) the solid-liquid separation may be carried out using any separation method known in the art, including but not limited to: centrifugation separation (e.g., decanter centrifugation or disk centrifugation) , precipitation separation, filtration separation, etc.

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

In this embodiment, centrifugation may be performed at 5000-20000 rad/min, preferably 9000-12000 rad/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 time for the centrifugation may be 5-30 minutes, preferably 7-15 minutes, which may be, for example, 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 through solid-liquid separation may be recovered for reuse. For example, the recovered solvent may be reused in step (a) .

3. Step (c) : Solvent Removal

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

Removal of all or part of the solvent may mean removal of 50 wt%to 100 wt%, preferably 98 wt%to 100 wt%, such as 50 wt%, 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 remained in the solid product.

In one or more embodiments, the step (c) comprises: dispersing the solid product obtained from step (b) in water, optionally performing shearing treatment, and then carrying out evaporation to obtain the plant protein or the concentrate thereof.

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

Preferably, the time for the shearing treatment may be 1-60 minutes, more preferably 5-30 minutes, which 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 performed under reduced pressure, preferably at a vacuum of 100-150mbar, for example, at a vacuum of 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 a temperature of: 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 is performed at a vacuum of 110-130mbar and at a temperature of 60-80℃.

In one or more embodiments, step (c) comprises: dispersing the solid product obtained from step (b) in water, optionally performing shearing treatment, then adding a defoamer, and carrying out evaporation to obtain the plant protein or the concentrate thereof. The conditions of the shearing treatment and evaporation therein 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 method according to the present invention may further comprise a step (d) , in which the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof is compounded with fat, carbohydrate, water, and optional adjuvant to obtain a compounded composition.

In one or more embodiments, during the compounding procedure, the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof is added by the protein content of the plant protein in an amount of 1%-6%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 2.5%-4%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%, or a range defined by any two of the above values. Herein, when the concentrate of the processed plant protein is used for compounding, the above amounts are based on the protein content of the plant protein contained in the concentrate.

In one or more embodiments, during the compounding procedure, 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, during the compounding procedure, 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, during the compounding procedure, an adjuvant may be optionally added.

In one or more embodiments, during the compounding procedure, the adjuvant may be added 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, during the compounding procedure, the balance is made up by adding water so that the total amount reaches 100%based on the total weight of the compounded composition.

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

the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof, which accounts for 1%-6%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 2.5%-4%in the compounded composition based on the protein content of the plant protein;

the fat, which accounts for 1%-10%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 3%-4.5%in the compounded composition;

the carbohydrate, which accounts for 0.5-10%, preferably 1%-5%, more preferably 1.5%-3.5%in the compounded composition;

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

and the remainder of the water,

In one or more embodiments, the fat may be selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, palm oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and the combination thereof. Preferably, the fat may be selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglyceride, canola oil, flaxseed oil, and the combination thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the carbohydrate includes but is not limited to: white granulated sugar, erythritol, isomaltooligosaccharide, galactooligosaccharide, fructooligosaccharide, polydextrose, maltose, glucose, maple syrup, which may also be cereal-derived carbohydrate, such as glutinous rice flour and japonica rice flour. Preferably, the carbohydrate may be selected from white granulated sugar, erythritol, glucose, maple syrup, glutinous rice flour, and the combination thereof. Further preferably, the carbohydrate may be maple syrup.

The present inventors unexpectedly found that when maple syrup is used as carbohydrate to prepare the base, the mouthfeel of the base is closer to that of the pure milk products.

In one or more embodiments, the adjuvant may be any adjuvant available in the art. For example, the adjuvant includes but is not limited to: fruit juice, fruit pieces, jam, strains, emulsifier, thickening agent, acidity regulator, defoamers, nutritional enhancer, antioxidant, and the like. Preferably, the adjuvant may be selected from emulsifier, defoamer, nutrition enhancer, antioxidant, and the combination thereof.

Preferably, the emulsifier is phospholipid.

Preferably, the defoamer is polydimethylsiloxane emulsion, especially a polydimethylsiloxane emulsion in accordance with the provisions of GB 30612.

The inventors have found that the base resulted from the compounded composition obtained by processing the plant protein according to the invention (i.e. solvent processing as described in step (a) ) followed by compounding the processed plant protein based on the formulation as described above has a significantly reduced taste of the plant itself and is closer to milk products in overall sensory. Such a base may in turn be used to provide improved plant-based foods, especially plant-based dairy products.

The compounding procedure may be carried out in any manner known in the art. The compounding procedure includes but is not limited to: mixing and dispersing each component (the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof, fat, carbohydrate and the optional adjuvant) and water according to a certain ratio, for example, at a ratio of 1: 1-1: 20, preferably 1: 2-1: 10, and the 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 some embodiments, the fat, carbohydrate, and optional adjuvant may each independently be pre-processed prior to compounding.

The pre-processing includes but is not limited to: preselected mixing and dispersing; pre-emulsification.

The pre-emulsification includes but is not limited to: adding an emulsifier to the fat, and processing under a certain temperature and shear conditions for a certain period of time such that it is fully emulsified. The pre-emulsification is preferably: adding all of the emulsifier to all of the fat, and emulsifying with high-speed shearing at 3000-10000 rad/min for 5-20 minutes at room temperature.

In a preferred embodiment, the compounding may be carried out by the following: mixing and dispersing the fat with an emulsifier to obtain a pre-emulsified fat material, and then compounding the pre-emulsified fat material with the other components of the compounded composition.

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

Preferably, mixing and dispersing the fat and the emulsifier is performed at a temperature of 15-35℃, more preferably 20-30℃, and the 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, mixing and dispersing the fat and the emulsifier is performed for 3-30 minutes, preferably 5-20 minutes, such as 3 minutes, 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 7 minutes, 8 minutes, 9 minutes, 10 minutes, 11 minutes, 12 minutes, 13 minutes, 14 minutes, 15 minutes, 16 minutes, 17 minutes, 18 minutes, 19 minutes, 20 minutes, 21 minutes, 22 minutes, 23 minutes, 24 minutes, 25 minutes, 26 minutes, 27 minutes, 28 minutes, 29 minutes, 30 minutes, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

The present inventors unexpectedly found that by pre-emulsifying the fat raw material with the emulsifier as described above, and then compounding with other components, the plant-based characteristic flavors of the obtained base may be further reduced, such that the overall sensory is closer to that of milk.

5. Step (e) : Sterilization

The preparation method according to the present invention may further comprise a step (e) , in which the compounded composition obtained in step (d) is blended, sheared and volume-controlled, and then the obtained volume-controlled material is sterilized to obtain the base for the plant-based food of the present invention.

The blending may be carried out in any manner known in the art, including but not limited to: controlling a certain temperature so that the materials and water are fully dissolved and fused under stirring condition. The blending is preferably: blending the compounded composition at a temperature of 40-85℃ under stirring condition.

The shearing treatment may be carried out in any manner known in the art, including but not limited to: shearing methods such as high-speed shearing, colloid milling, high-pressure jet milling.

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

In one or more embodiments, in the sterilization process the volume-controlled material is prepared into a base through processes such as homogenization, pasteurization, and ultra-high temperature sterilization. The characteristic flavors of the plant-based raw material itself in the base are significantly reduced, and the overall sensory is closer to that of milk products.

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

The pasteurization may be carried out in a manner known in the art, including but not limited to: long-time sterilization at low temperature, short-time sterilization at high temperature, and the like. The pasteurization condition is preferably: sterilization at 85-89± 2℃ for 15-30s.

The ultra-high temperature sterilization may be carried out in a manner known in the art, including but not limited to: the materials are heated to 135℃ (or above) using steam for 2-10s; sterilization should include a pre-or post-homogenization process. The condition of the ultra-high temperature sterilization is preferably: instantaneous sterilization at 137-142℃ for 4-6s, and the sterilization should include a pre-or post-homogenization process, with two-stage homogenization at 50-80℃ and 200-400 bar pressure.

In one or more embodiments, after the sterilization process the obtained material is cooled. The cooling includes but is not limited to: cooling through a heat exchanger to a temperature ≤10℃.

6. The Preparation Process of the Base

An exemplary embodiment of the 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 the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

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

As shown in FIG. 1, the preparation method according to the present invention may include a protein processing procedure, a batching process and a sterilization process.

In the protein processing procedure, the plant protein (for example, soybean protein powder) is mixed and dispersed with an organic solvent (for example, an aqueous solution of ethanol) to obtain a mixed slurry. Then, the mixed slurry may be subjected to solid-liquid separation to obtain a solid product. Then, all or part of the solvent remaining in the solid product may be removed by evaporation to obtain a processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof. For the purpose of environmental protection and energy saving, the solvent obtained by solid-liquid separation and the solvent removed by evaporation may be recovered and reused, for example, which may be reused in the pre-processing of protein raw materials.

In the batching process, the fat, carbohydrate, and adjuvant are optionally pre-processed separately. The pre-processing includes but not limited to: preselected mixing and dispersing; pre-emulsification. Preferably, the fat is mixed and dispersed with an emulsifier to obtain a pre-emulsified fat material, and the pre-emulsified fat material is compounded with other components.

Then, the optionally pre-processed fat, carbohydrate, adjuvant are compounded with the plant protein or the concentrate thereof obtained through the protein processing procedure and water, and the compounded composition obtained by the batching is subjected to blending processing at a certain temperature, then to a high-shearing treatment, and then to a volume control according to the formulation index.

In the sterilization process, the base for a plant-based food is prepared through processes such as homogenization, pasteurization, and ultra-high temperature sterilization of the volume-controlled raw materials. The characteristic flavors of the plant-based raw material itself in the base are significantly reduced, and the overall sensory is closer to that of the milk products.

The specific steps and conditions in the above processes may be the same as those described above.

II. A Base for Plant-based Foods

According to another aspect of the invention, the invention relates to a base for a plant-based food, and the base comprises:

and the remainder of the water,

In one or more embodiments, the amount of the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof is 1%-6%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 2.5%-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. Herein, when the concentrate of the processed plant protein is included, 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 the fat is 1%-10%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 3%-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 the carbohydrate is 0.5-10%, preferably 1%-5%, more preferably 1.5%-3.5%based on the total weight of the base. 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 base is the one obtained through the above-mentioned preparation method according to the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof is obtained by a method comprising the following steps:

(a) mixing and dispersing a plant protein or a plant protein liquid with a solvent to obtain a mixed slurry;

The specific processes and conditions of the above steps may be the same as those described above.

The present inventors have found that by subjecting a plant protein to the solvent processing according to the present invention, the contents of the components that cause plant-based characteristic flavors (raw beany flavor and/or beany related hexanal, 2-pentylfuran, benzaldehyde, hexanol, 2, 5-dimethylpyrazine; earthy flavor related hexanal, 2-pentylfuran, trans-2-heptenal, 1-octen-3-ol; and oily related trans-2-octenal, nonanal, trans-2-nonenal, 2, 4-decadienal) in the processed plant protein are greatly reduced.

Therefore, according to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention relates to a base for a plant-based food, which comprises hexanal in a content of less than 4.0 mg/L, preferably less than 3.0 mg/L, 2-pentylfuran in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, decadienal in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, trans-2-nonenal in a content of less than 0.5 mg/L, preferably less than 0.3 mg/L, and trans-2-octenal in a content of less than 1.0 mg/L, preferably less than 0.5 mg/L.

In one or more embodiments, the content of hexanal is less than 4.0 mg/L, less than 3.0 mg/L, less than 2.0 mg/L, less than 1.0 mg/L, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the content of 2-pentylfuran is less than 3.0 mg/L, less than 2.5 mg/L, less than 2.0 mg/L, less than 1.5 mg/L, less than 1.0 mg/L, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the content of decadienal is less than 3.0 mg/L, less than 2.5 mg/L, less than 2.0 mg/L, less than 1.5 mg/L, less than 1.0 mg/L, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the content of trans-2-nonenal is less than 0.5 mg/L, less than 0.4 mg/L, less than 0.3 mg/L, less than 0.2 mg/L, less than 0.1 mg/L, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the content of trans-2-octenal is less than 1.0 mg/L, less than 0.9 mg/L, less than 0.8 mg/L, less than 0.7 mg/L, less than 0.6 mg/L, less than 0.5 mg/L, less than 0.4 mg/L, less than 0.3 mg/L, less than 0.2 mg/L, less than 0.1 mg/L, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

In one or more embodiments, the base also comprises benzaldehyde in a content of less than 1.0 mg/L, less than 0.9 mg/L, less than 0.8 mg/L, less than 0.7 mg/L, less than 0.6 mg/L, less than 0.5 mg/L, less than 0.4 mg/L, less than 0.3 mg/L, less than 0.2 mg/L, less than 0.1 mg/L, 0 mg/L, or a range defined by any two of the above values.

The base is preferably obtained by the above-described preparation method according to the invention.

Compared with the base prepared according to the method of the prior art, the base according to the present invention has significantly reduced plant-based characteristic flavors, and is closer to or completely simulates milk products in terms of smell, taste, mouthfeel, etc., which is very suitable to apply in the production of plant-based foods such as plant-based milk, plant-based yogurt, plant-based cheese, plant-based milk powder, and plant-based ice cream.

III. Plant-based Foods

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

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

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with examples, but the following examples are only for the purpose of illustrating the present invention, and should not be construed as limitations to the scope of the present invention.

Examples

I. Evaluation Methods

1. Evaluation of the Plant-based Characteristic Flavors of the Base Samples

Base samples and milk products (pure milk pro3.2%) were tasted respectively by 12 sensory professionals using the profiling evaluation method. The evaluation indicators are: beany, cerealy, oily, nutty, powdery. The evaluation results of the base samples were compared with those of the milk products (pure milk pro3.2%) so as to evaluate the plant-based characteristic flavors of the base samples.

Evaluation criteria: utilizing the 10-point scale method, as shown in the table below.

2. Evaluation of the Degree of Similarity Between the Base Samples and Milk

Base samples and milk products (pure milk pro3.2%) were tasted respectively by 12 sensory professionals using the profiling evaluation method. The evaluation indicators are: milky, creamy, fatty, thickness, smoothness, watery and sweetness. The evaluation results of the base samples were compared with those of the milk products (pure milk pro3.2%) so as to evaluate the sensory similarity between the base samples and the milk products.

3. Test Method for the Contents of Plant-based Characteristic Flavor Components

The contents of the components that cause the plant-based characteristic flavors (hereinafter referred to as “plant-based characteristic flavor components” , that are, raw beany flavor and/or beany related hexanal, 2-pentylfuran, benzaldehyde, hexanol, 2, 5-dimethylpyrazine; earthy flavor related hexanal, 2-pentylfuran, trans-2-heptenal, 1-octen-3-ol; and oily related trans-2-octenal, nonanal, trans-2-nonenal, 2, 4-decadienal) in each sample were analyzed and evaluated by the headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technology in combination with the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) . Among them, the components that cause plant-based characteristic flavors (hereinafter referred to as “plant-based characteristic flavor components” ) were extracted from the samples by SPME technology, and then the contents of the above-mentioned components were determined in combination with the GC-MS technology.

II. Source of Raw Materials

The specifications of the raw materials involved in the examples are shown in Table 1 below. Raw materials used are measured by weight, unless otherwise indicated.

Table 1: Specifications of the Raw Materials

III. Experiments

Example 1

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

Soybean protein isolate and ethanol aqueous solution (i.e. alcohol solution with a concentration of 50%w/w) were mixed and dispersed at a ratio of 1: 4, and held at 25℃ with stirring for 30 minutes;

the resulting mixed slurry was centrifuged at 10,000 rad/min for 10 minutes, and the precipitate was taken;

the obtained precipitate was dispersed with water, and subjected to high-shearing treatment at 6000 rad/min for 10 minutes;

polydimethylsiloxane emulsion was added, distilled under the condition of vacuum degree of 120mbar and 75℃, to obtain the protein concentrate after the alcohol was evaporated.

2. Batching Process:

Coconut oil was weighted and phospholipid was added according to the formula in the table below. Pre-emulsification was carried out at room temperature for 10 minutes at 6000 rad/min;

the protein and other components obtained through the above-mentioned processes were weighted according to the formula in the table below;

pure water was weighted at the ratio of 1: 5 and warmed up to 40℃, and all the raw materials listed in the formula in the table below were added, stirred for 5-10 minutes, then warmed up slowly to 70℃, and stirred for 10 minutes to blend all the materials;

after the blending process was finished, it was cooled to <10℃ by a plate heat exchanger, volume-controlled and temporarily stored.

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

The materials were pre-heated to 65℃ after volume control, homogenized (total pressure of 200 bar, secondary pressure of 40 bar) , sterilized at 85℃ for 15S, cooled to <10℃, added with vitamin E and stirred evenly;

the above was pre-heated to 65℃, homogenized (total pressure of 200 bar, secondary pressure of 40 bar) , sterilized at 137℃ for 4S, and cooled to <10℃;

the plant protein base was obtained.

Example 2

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

polydimethylsiloxane emulsion was added, distilled under the condition of vacuum degree of 120mbar and 65℃, to obtain the protein concentrate after the alcohol was evaporated.

2. Batching Process:

Batching was carried out according to following formula, and the processing steps of batching are the same as those of the batching process in Example 1.

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

The processing steps of sterilization are the same as those of the sterilization process in Example 1.

Example 3

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

Soybean protein isolate and ethanol aqueous solution (i.e. alcohol solution with a concentration of 25%w/w) were mixed and dispersed at a ratio of 1: 4, and held at 25℃ with stirring for 30 minutes;

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Example 4

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

The steps of protein processing are the same as those of the protein processing procedure in Example 1.

2. Batching Process:

pure water was weighted at the ratio of 1: 5, and warmed up to 40℃, and all the raw materials listed in the formula in the table below were added, stirred for 5-10 minutes, then warmed up slowly to 70℃, and stirred for 10 minutes to blend all the materials;

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Example 5

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

Soybean protein isolate and n-hexane were mixed and dispersed at a ratio of 1: 2, and held at 25℃ with stirring for 30 minutes;

polydimethylsiloxane emulsion was added, distilled under the condition of vacuum degree of 120mbar and 75℃, to obtain the protein after the n-hexane was evaporated.

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Example 6

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Example 7

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Example 8

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Example 9

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Example 10

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Comparative Example 1

1. Batching process

Soybean protein isolate was weighted according to the formula in the table below;

coconut oil was weighted according to the formula in the table below, and added with phospholipid, which was pre-emulsified at room temperature for 10 minutes at 6000 rad/min;

other components listed in the table below were weighted according to the formula in the table below;

Formula:

2. Sterilization Process:

The materials were pre-heated to 65℃ after volume control, homogenized (total pressure of 200 bar, secondary pressure of 40 bar) , sterilized at 85℃ for 15S, cooled to <10℃, and added with vitamin E and stirred evenly;

the plant protein base was obtained.

Comparative Example 2

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

Soybean protein isolate and pea protein were mixed and dispersed at a ratio of 1: 1 with ethanol aqueous solution (i.e. alcohol solution with a concentration of 50%w/w) , and held at 25℃ with stirring for 30 minutes;

the defoamer was added, distilled under the condition of vacuum degree of 120mbar and 75℃, to obtain the protein concentrate after the alcohol was evaporated.

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Comparative Example 3

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

Soybean protein isolate and pea protein were mixed and dispersed at a ratio of 1: 10 with ethanol aqueous solution (i.e. alcohol solution with a concentration of 50%w/w) , and held at 25℃ with stirring for 30 minutes;

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Comparative Example 4

1. Batching Process:

Formula:

2. Sterilization Process:

Comparative Example 5

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Comparative Example 6

1. Protein Processing Procedure:

2. Batching Process:

Formula:

3. Sterilization Process:

Evaluation Results

The bases obtained in each of Examples and Comparative Examples were evaluated for plant-based characteristic flavors and degree of similarity with milk according to the above-mentioned evaluation methods. Please see the following table for the evaluation results of each base sample and pure milk product (pro3.2%) :

Table 2: Evaluation Results

Conclusion

In Examples 1-10 the plant proteins were solvent-processed according to the methods of the present invention, and then the solvent-processed plant proteins were compounded according to the formula composition of the present invention, so as to prepare the base. However, in Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 4 the plant proteins were not processed, and although in Comparative Examples 2-3 and 5-6 solvent-processed plant proteins were used, the formula composition was not based on the present invention.

As shown by the results in Table 2, compared with the bases of Comparative Examples 1-3 and 5-6, the base of Example 1 is significantly reduced in terms of beany, cerealy, nutty, etc., indicating that the plant-based characteristic flavors are obviously weakened, and at the same time, the base is overall closer to pure milk products in terms of milky, creamy, fatty, thickness, smoothness, watery and sweetness. Moreover, Example 4 also shows significantly weakened plant-based characteristic flavors and a sensory evaluation closer to that of pure milk as compared with its corresponding Comparative Example 4.

It can be seen that a plant-based base is obtained in the present invention with a significantly weakened plant-based characteristic flavor through a specific solvent processing of the plant protein combined with a specific component composition, which is closer in overall sensory to pure milk products.

As further exhibited by the results in Table 2, the base of Example 1 utilizing a pre-emulsification process has further decreased plant-based characteristic flavors and is closer to milk in terms of mouthfeel comparing to that in Example 4 that did not use a pre-emulsification process.

In addition, from the comparison of the results of Example 6 and Example 1 in Table 2, it can also be seen that using maple syrup as the carbohydrate to prepare the base allows the base to have a low plant-based characteristic flavor while being further close to pure milk products in terms of sensory.

The Test Results and Conclusions of the Contents of Plant-based Characteristic Flavor Components

The plant-based characteristic flavor components contained in the base obtained in Example 1 and the base obtained in Comparative Example 1 were detected and analyzed according to the test methods for the contents of plant-based characteristic flavor components as described above. A total of 29 compounds that cause plant-based characteristic flavors were detected in Comparative Example 1, and only 14 compounds were detected in Example 1. Among them, the detection data of the main plant-based characteristic flavor components are shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the contents of raw beany flavor and/or beany related hexanal, 2-pentylfuran, benzaldehyde, and oily related 2, 4-decadienal, trans-2-nonenal, trans-2-octenal, nonanal are significantly lower than those in Comparative Example 1. It could be seen that the types and contents of the plant-based characteristic flavor components in Example 1 are significantly lower than those in Comparative Example 1. This indicates that the plant-based characteristic flavors in soybean protein can be effectively reduced by solvent processing of the soybean protein.

In addition, in order to further verify the effect of the solvent processing according to the present invention, the raw material of the soybean protein was subjected to ethanol extraction and washing, and the contents of plant-based characteristic flavor components in soybean protein samples after ethanol extraction were tested utilizing the headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technology in combination with the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as described above. The results are shown in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3, pre-extraction refers to the results for the contents of each plant-based characteristic flavor component in the aqueous solution of soybean protein that has not been processed with ethanol; the extract refers to the results for the contents of each plant-based characteristic flavor component in the ethanol extract obtained by centrifugation after ethanol processing. Post-extraction refers to the results for the contents of each plant-based characteristic flavor component in the aqueous solution of soybean protein obtained by ethanol processing prior to dispersing the processed soybean protein with water added, and distilling to remove the alcohol. The recovered solution refers to the results for the contents of each plant-based characteristic flavor component in the residual alcohol that is recovered from distillation.

It can be seen from FIG. 3 that the contents of each plant-based characteristic flavor component in soybean protein are significantly reduced after ethanol extraction.

Claims

A method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food, comprising the steps of:

(a) mixing and dispersing a plant protein or plant protein liquid with a solvent to obtain a mixed slurry, the solvent being selected from alcohol, a mixed solvent of alcohol and water, alkane, supercritical carbon dioxide, and the combination thereof;

(b) performing solid-liquid separation on the mixed slurry obtained in step (a) , preferably by centrifugation separation, precipitation separation, and filtration separation;

(c) removing all or part of the solvent from the solid product obtained in step (b) to obtain a processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof; and

(d) compounding the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof with fat, carbohydrate, water, and optional adjuvant based on the following composition to obtain a compounded composition:

the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof, which accounts for 1%-6%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 2.5%-4%of the compounded composition based on the protein content of the plant protein;

the fat, which accounts for 1%-10%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 3%-4.5%of the compounded composition;

the carbohydrate, which accounts for 0.5-10%, preferably 1%-5%, more preferably 1.5%-3.5%of the compounded composition;

the adjuvant, which accounts for 0-15%, preferably 0.1%-10%, more preferably 0.3%-0.5%of the compounded composition;

and the remainder of the water,

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

wherein the fat is preferably selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, palm oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and the combination thereof, more preferably selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, canola oil, flaxseed oil, and the combination thereof;

the carbohydrate is preferably selected from white granulated sugar, erythritol, glucose, maple syrup, glutinous rice flour, and the combination thereof, more preferably maple syrup;

the adjuvant is preferably selected from emulsifier, defoamer, nutrition enhancer, antioxidant, and the combination thereof.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to claim 1, wherein the compounding is carried out by the following: mixing and dispersing the fat with the emulsifier to obtain a pre-emulsified fat material, then compounding the pre-emulsified fat material with the other components of the compounded composition, preferably the emulsifier being a phospholipid,

wherein the mixing and dispersing the fat and the emulsifier is preformed preferably under the shearing treatment of 1500-20000 rad/min, more preferably 3000-10000 rad/min, and preferably at 15-35℃, more preferably 20-30℃.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to claim 1, further comprising a step (e) in which the compounded composition is blended, sheared and volume-controlled, and then the volume-controlled material is sterilized,

preferably, the sterilization is pasteurization, UHT sterilization, and the combination thereof, more preferably the combination of pasteurization and UHT sterilization.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein

the alcohol is selected from C2-11 alkyl alcohols, more preferably from C2-C5 alkyl alcohols, for example, selected from ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, tert-butanol, n-pentanol, isoamyl alcohol, tert-amyl alcohol, neopentyl alcohol, n-hexanol, isohexanol, n-heptanol, isoheptanol, n-octanol, isooctyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and the combination thereof, more preferably selected from ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, and the combination thereof;

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

the alkane is selected from C4-15 alkanes, more preferably from C6-C8 alkanes, for example, selected from butane, n-pentane, isopentane, tert-pentane, neopentane, n-hexane, isohexane, n-heptane, isoheptane, n-octane, isooctane, and the combination thereof, further preferably butane or n-hexane.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein

the plant protein is selected from soybean protein isolate, soybean protein, pea protein, mung bean protein, chickpea protein, peanut protein, corn protein, rice protein, nut protein, cereal protein, and the combination thereof, preferably selected from soybean protein isolate, soybean protein, pea protein, and the combination thereof;

the plant protein liquid is selected from soybean slurry, nut butter, nut slurry, cereal paste, cereal slurry, and the combination thereof.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein step (a) is carried out by the following: mixing and dispersing the plant protein or plant protein liquid with the solvent by stirring, preferably at 15-35℃, more preferably 20-30℃, preferably the weight ratio of the plant protein or plant protein liquid to the solvent is 1: 1-1: 20, preferably 1: 2-1: 10, and the time for the mixing and dispersing is preferably 10-100 minutes, more preferably 20-50 minutes.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein step (c) comprises: dispersing the solid product obtained from step (b) in water, optionally with shearing treatment, and then evaporation to obtain the plant protein or the concentrate thereof,

wherein the shearing treatment is carried out preferably under 3000-12000 rad/min, more preferably 5000-8000 rad/min, preferably for 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℃.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein in step (b) , the solid-liquid separation is carried out by centrifugation, preferably at 5000-20000 rad/min, more preferably at 9000-12000 rad/min, and preferably the time for centrifugation is 5-30 minutes, more preferably 7-15 minutes.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein removing all or part of the solvent refers to removing 50 wt%-100 wt%, preferably 98 wt%-100 wt%of the solvent remaining in the solid product.
The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food one or more reduced undesired flavors according to claim 1, wherein the composition of the compounded composition is as follows:

the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof, which accounts for 2%-5%of the compounded composition based on the protein content of the plant protein;

the fat, which accounts for 2%-5%of the compounded composition;

the carbohydrate, which accounts for 1%-5%of the compounded composition;

the adjuvant, which accounts for 0-10%of the compounded composition;

and the remainder of the water,

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

wherein the plant protein is selected from soybean protein isolate, soybean protein, and pea protein;

the fat is selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, canola oil, and flaxseed oil;

the carbohydrate is selected from white granulated sugar, erythritol, glucose, maple syrup, and glutinous rice flour;

the adjuvant is selected from emulsifier, defoamer, nutrition enhancer, and antioxidant.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to claim 1, wherein the one or more reduced undesired flavors is a plant-based characteristic flavor.
The method of preparing a base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to claim 1, wherein the one or more reduced undesired flavors comprise of beany, cerealy, oily, nutty and/or powdery.
The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to claim 1, wherein the base comprises reduced beany related hexanal, 2-pentylfuran, benzaldehyde, hexanol, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine; earthy flavor related hexanal, 2-pentylfuran, trans-2-heptenal, 1-octen-3-ol; and/or oily related trans-2-octenal, nonanal, trans-2-nonenal, 2, 4-decadienal.
The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to claim 1, wherein the base comprises hexanal in a content of less than 4.0 mg/L, preferably less than 3.0 mg/L, and 2-pentylfuran in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, decadienal in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, trans-2-nonenal in a content of less than 0.5 mg/L, preferably less than 0.3 mg/L, and trans-2-octenal in a content of less than 1.0 mg/L, preferably less than 0.5 mg/L.
The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to claim 1, wherein the base has an improved degree of similarity with milk.
The method of preparing a base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to claim 15, wherein the base has an improved degree of similarity with milk, comprises of improved milky, creamy, fatty, thickness, smoothness, watery and/or sweetness.
A base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food, wherein the base is obtained by the method according to any one of claims 1-16, the base comprising:

the processed plant protein or the concentrate thereof, which accounts for 1%-6%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 2.5%-4%in the base based on the protein content of the plant protein;

the fat, which accounts for 1%-10%, preferably 2%-5%, more preferably 3%-4.5%in the base;

the carbohydrate, which accounts for 0.5-10%, preferably 1%-5%, more preferably 1.5%-3.5%in the base;

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

and the remainder of the water,

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

wherein the fat is preferably selected from coconut oil, medium chain triglycerides, canola oil, flaxseed oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil, corn oil, soybean oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and the combination thereof;

the carbohydrate is preferably selected from white granulated sugar, erythritol, glucose, maple syrup, glutinous rice flour, and the combination thereof;

the adjuvant is preferably selected from emulsifier, defoamer, nutrition enhancer, antioxidant, and the combination thereof.
A base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to claim 17, wherein the one or more reduced undesired flavors is a plant-based characteristic flavor.
A base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food according to claim 17, wherein the one or more reduced undesired flavors comprise of beany, cerealy, oily, nutty and/or powdery.
A base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to claim 17, wherein the base has an improved degree of similarity with milk.
A base for a plant-based food with one or more reduced undesired flavors according to claim 17, wherein the base has an improved degree of similarity with milk, comprises of improved milky, creamy, fatty, thickness, smoothness, watery and/or sweetness.
A base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for a plant-based food, comprising hexanal in a content of less than 4.0 mg/L, preferably less than 3.0 mg/L, and 2-pentylfuran in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, decadienal in a content of less than 3.0 mg/L, preferably less than 2.0 mg/L, trans-2-nonenal in a content of less than 0.5 mg/L, preferably less than 0.3 mg/L, and trans-2-octenal in a content of less than 1.0 mg/L, preferably less than 0.5 mg/L,

wherein said base is preferably obtained by the method according to any one of claims 1-16.
A plant-based food prepared from the base with one or more reduced undesired flavors for the plant-based food obtained by the method according to any one of claims 1-16 or the base for the plant-based food according to claim 17 or 22, wherein the plant-based food is preferably a plant-based dairy product, more preferably plant-based milk, plant-based yoghurt, plant-based cheese, plant-based milk powder or plant-based ice cream.