Functional and sensory evaluation of commercial plant-based mozzarella analogues

The growing demand for plant-based alternatives to animal-derived foods has led to an increased availability of plant-based cheese analogues, particularly those mimicking mozzarella. However, these products often fail to replicate the functional and sensory properties of cheeses. This study evaluates the physical, structural, functional, and sensory characteristics of three commercial plant-based mozzarella analogues in comparison with two dairy references. Physicochemical and structural analyses included moisture content, pH, color, oscillatory rheology, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), low-field 1 H NMR, and texture profile analysis. Meltability, browning, oiling-off, and stretchability tests were also conducted to assess functionality during cooking. Sensory acceptability and Just-About-Right (JAR) tests were combined to identify penalizing attributes of the samples melted on pizza. The structures of the plant-based samples showed inability to replicate the texture and the cooking properties of dairy products. Rheological and DSC data revealed different melting behaviors. Sensory data confirmed a lack of consumer acceptance for plant-based samples, mainly due to texture and flavor limitations. Stretchability was identified as a key penalizing attribute. The findings underline structural challenges in replicating casein functionality with plant ingredients and provide insights to guide formulation strategies for future development of plant-based mozzarella analogues. • Plant-based samples had lower protein and higher carbohydrate and salt levels • Dairy samples showed elastic, thermoreversible networks under heating • Plant-based samples showed rigid or brittle structures with limited heat response • Plant-based products showed diversified cooking behavior compared with dairy samples • Sensory data showed the need to improve stretchability, browning and flavor