Researchers tackle fatty problem in vegan cheese

VEGANS and curious consumers alike may soon find a plant-based cheese that comes closer to the real thing thanks to researchers at Heriot-Watt University.

Led by Stephen Euston, who has spent a decade developing vegan cheese products, the team has created a sliced cheese that he says is “more heart healthy and greener” than many alternatives currently on the market.

The team have found a way to mimic the texture and meltability of dairy-based cheese using sunflower and rapeseed oil. By converting them into solid fat through a process known as oleogelation, the researchers have been able to recreate key characteristics that many plant-based cheeses struggle to match.

Healthier choices

Popular brands Cathedral City and Violife typically use coconut oil or palm oil for their vegan cheeses. Though effective at imitating the sliceablity and melt, these ingredients are much higher in saturated fat than dairy cheese.

Texture, flavour and meltability are important factors for consumers. Research from the Plant Based Foods Association suggest shortcomings in at least one of these are a primary reason consumers avoid non-dairy cheese.

Euston says his team’s method of oleogelation addresses both health concerns and textural quality.

Preparing for the market

Oleogelation involves adding molecules called oleogelators to a liquid oil and assembling them into microscopic structures that can trap the oil into a 3D structure, creating solid fat.

According to Euston, the resulting cheese product is healthier and has a “superior meltability” compared with commercial vegan cheeses they tested.

He adds: “We’ve proved that our recipe, which reduces the saturated fat content of the cheese to as low as 3%, works theoretically and in our lab.”

The team has secured funding from the UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, as well as from the food industry, to scale its product. If development continues as planned, Euston expects it to reach tasting panels within the next ten months – bringing supermarket shelves a step closer.