Effect of saturated and unsaturated fat on the physical properties of plant-based cheese

In many plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, coconut oil is frequently used to replicate the textural and structural properties of animal fats due to its high saturated fat content. Concerns about the health implications of saturated fat and the sustainability of coconut oil call for an exploration into alternative fat combinations in plant-based foods. The effects of saturated fatty acid (SFA) content on plant-based cheese physical characteristics were evaluated through five different ratios of coconut oil (CO) to sunflower oil (SO): 100%, 90%, 75%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 25%, 10%, and 0%. As determined through texture profile analysis, the hardness of the cheeses after setting at 5°C for 24h increased with increasing amounts of coconut oil due to the increasing solid fat content providing additional firmness. The samples with 100% coconut oil displayed satisfactory melt and stretch; however, the melt and stretch values were matched by adding as little as 25% sunflower oil. The melt and stretch values did not continue to increase with increasing saturated fat content but instead remained constant with increasing coconut oil addition. Rheological analysis of the cheeses during a temperature ramp from 20 to 95°C was assessed where the tanδ value at 95°C was used as a measure of cheese melt, where values ≥ 1 indicated a better melt. The 0% coconut oil cheese had the lowest tanδ (G″/G′) value of 0.3, whereas the addition of 25% coconut oil into the cheese resulted in the tanδ increasing to values greater than 0.5. The 25% CO cheese sample also achieved a more similar complex viscosity (η*) to that of dairy cheese than all samples but the 75% CO cheese. Therefore, there is an opportunity to decrease the amount of coconut oil in plant-based cheese systems while maintaining good functional properties and improving the sustainability and health benefits of the final product.