GOAL
To develop a vegan edam-style cheese with the similar texture and complex, authentic taste of real Edam cheese.
PROCESS
We began by focusing on ingredients that would create the right texture, all while building in layers of flavor to create an authentic tasting vegan edam-style cheese. Using plant-based fat and functional ingredients like starches combined with water, we built a base. Deciding what fat to use was crucial as texture and melting point can dictate attributes like mouthfeel and off notes. Different fats have different tastes. For example, coconut fat may have a coconut taste or canola oil may have a fishy or mushroom-type taste. The fat taste needs to be masked or mellowed depending on the desired taste profile.
Functional ingredients can also impact the product’s texture, meltability, shredding capabilities, and, of course, taste. In this case, we needed to mask the cardboard off note in our base and build in some depth of flavor. In order to balance, mask and create the distinctive cheesy notes of Edam, flavor layering was required. We found that a butter flavor combined with a Cheddar flavor masked the off notes of our base, added a rich buttery, creamy background, and a savory cheesiness reminiscent of the background notes of Edam. The final touch was Edam flavor which gave the overall pronounced Edam taste to the application.
RESULTS
The result was a great-tasting product with the layers of depth and complexity of real dairy. The graph to the right illustrates the differences picked up between the unflavored base which still contained acids and yeast extract and the flavored product which had the butter flavor, Cheddar flavor and Edam flavors added.
Looking to create your own authentic tasting vegan or dairy-free cheese? Capturing authentic cheese flavor in dairy-free, vegan and plant-based applications is a unique challenge that requires specialized expertise. At Edlong, we use over a century of experience exclusively focused on the taste of dairy and a cultivated library of hundreds of dairy flavors that can be applied in thousands of combinations to offer the perfect solution for your unique application development challenges. Contact us today to schedule some time to meet with our R&D and Applications team to see how our solutions can be your success.
Want to learn more about how flavors can benefit plant-based applications? From beverages and dips to snacks and more, see the latest trends in plant-based, see how flavors can help food manufacturers create authentic taste in their non-dairy products in our latest e-book Making Plant-Based Delicious.
Topics: Cheese applicationsCheese flavorsDairy-freePlant-BasedVegan
Resource Type: Article