Evaluating the effect of plant protein functionalities on the performance of high-protein plant-based cheese

Commercial plant-based cheese lack dairy cheese's nutritional properties and functionality. Eleven plant proteins were studied in an 18 %w/w protein and 12 %w/w waxy starch plant-based cheese to determine the relationship between protein functionality and cheese performance. Higher cheese hardness was associated with greater melt, stretch, and oil loss, with a positive correlation between tanδ and increased sample melt in kinetic melting tests. Proteins of high purity (>70 %), low solubility, low emulsion stability and high water-holding capacity result in the best cheese performance. Through FTIR spectromicroscopy and computed tomography, it was confirmed that proteins which behave as passive fillers in the cheese matrix allow the waxy starch to remain as a continuous network and have superior melt and stretch properties. Conversely, cheese that exhibited poor melting and stretch properties were associated with proteins having high solubility and/or low purity, low water-holding capacity, and high emulsifying stability causing disruption of the starch structure.