Vegetable protein isolate, method for the preparation thereof and imitation cheese product containing it.

摘要

Vegetable proteins may be converted into isolates which are useful for preparing imitation cheese products. These isolates are characterized as: having an NSI of at least 90, have not been subjected to enzymatic or chemical hydrolysis, form an insoluble gel when reconstituted in water at a 15% by weight protein isolate concentration and heated to 85°C, for 30 minutes, and yield a melt value of at least 15 cm<Sup>2</Sup>. The isolates are prepared under conditions which precondition the protein molecules so that they may be converted upon heat treatment into protein aggregates which simulate the hydrocolloidal attributes of caseinate. The heat treatment causes restructuring of the proteinaceous molecules into large molecular weight aggregates. Soy isolates prepared in accordance with this invention may be utilized to replace from 20% to 60% or higher of the caseinate in an imitation cheese recipe without adversely affecting the melt characteristics of the imitation cheese product.