ChickP has announced two new prototypes for dairy-free cheese that makes use of its chickpea protein isolate to showcase its versatility when it comes to plant-based food options. The brand utilized fermentation processes to achieve plant-based cheddar and cream cheeses, which are both nutritious and delicious. The products incorporate simple ingredients like water, coconut oil and starch, while the fermentation achieves the tangy flavor that cheese is known for. This also gives the products a probiotic profile for added health benefits.
Application Manager Maor Dahan spoke on the dairy-free cheeses saying, "We explored a range of cultures to find the strains that work best with our formula. On top of that, the synergy between the chickpea isolates and starch helped create a rich, smooth, creamy textured spread on a par with real dairy cream cheese.”
Image Credit: Nimrod Genisher
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Dairy-free Cheese Substitutes
- The rise in popularity of plant-based diets is creating a market opportunity for innovative dairy-free cheese substitutes using ingredients like chickpea protein isolate.
- Probiotic-enhanced Foods
- Companies can add value to their plant-based products with added health benefits like probiotics to appeal to health-conscious consumers.
- Natural Cheese Flavor Duplication
- The use of fermentation processes and innovative ingredient combinations like chickpea isolates and starch can produce dairy-free cheeses with flavors that mimic traditional cheese, creating an opportunity for disruption in the cheese industry.
Where This Applies
- Plant-based Food
- The plant-based food industry can capitalize on the popularity of vegan and vegetarian diets by creating innovative cheese substitutes using novel ingredients and manufacturing techniques.
- Probiotic Supplements
- The probiotic supplement industry can innovate with added probiotics in plant-based foods like dairy-free cheeses to create new products that appeal to health-conscious consumers who want to improve gut health.
- Cheese Manufacturing
- Cheese manufacturers can stay competitive by exploring innovative ingredients and fermentation processes to produce dairy-free cheeses that mimic the taste and texture of traditional cheese for consumers who are lactose intolerant or prefer plant-based options.
