Comparative Analysis of Composition, Texture, and Sensory Attributes of Commercial Forms of Plant-Based Cheese Analogue Products Available on the Irish Market
The increasing demand for plant-based foods has led to significant growth in the availability, at a retail level, of plant-based cheese analogue products. This study presents the first comprehensive benchmarking of commercially available plant-based cheese analogue (PBCA) products in the Irish marke...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Foods |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2701 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849407417191759872 |
|---|---|
| author | Farhan Ali James A. O’Mahony Maurice G. O’Sullivan Joseph P. Kerry |
| author_facet | Farhan Ali James A. O’Mahony Maurice G. O’Sullivan Joseph P. Kerry |
| author_sort | Farhan Ali |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The increasing demand for plant-based foods has led to significant growth in the availability, at a retail level, of plant-based cheese analogue products. This study presents the first comprehensive benchmarking of commercially available plant-based cheese analogue (PBCA) products in the Irish market, comparing them against conventional cheddar and processed dairy cheeses. A total of 16 cheese products were selected from Irish retail outlets, comprising five block-style plant-based analogues, seven slice-style analogues, two cheddar samples, and two processed cheese samples. Results showed that plant-based cheese analogues had significantly lower protein content (0.1–1.7 g/100 g) than cheddar (25 g/100 g) and processed cheese (12.9–18.2 g/100 g) and lacked a continuous protein matrix, being instead stabilized largely by solid fats, starch, and hydrocolloids. While cheddar showed the highest hardness, some plant-based cheeses achieved comparable hardness using texturizing agents but still demonstrated lower tan δ<sub>max</sub> values, indicating inferior melting behaviour. Thermograms of differential scanning calorimetry presented a consistent single peak at ~20 °C across most vegan-based variants, unlike the dual-phase melting transitions observed in dairy cheeses. Sensory analysis further highlighted strong negative associations between PBCAs and consumer-relevant attributes such as flavour, texture, and overall acceptability. By integrating structural, functional, and sensory findings, this study identifies key formulation and performance deficits across cheese formats and provides direction for targeted improvements in next-generation PBCA product development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-052f8d6a6b624d859d87c8761cff76d1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-052f8d6a6b624d859d87c8761cff76d12025-08-20T03:36:06ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-07-011415270110.3390/foods14152701Comparative Analysis of Composition, Texture, and Sensory Attributes of Commercial Forms of Plant-Based Cheese Analogue Products Available on the Irish MarketFarhan Ali0James A. O’Mahony1Maurice G. O’Sullivan2Joseph P. Kerry3School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, T12 TP07 Cork, IrelandSchool of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, T12 TP07 Cork, IrelandSchool of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, T12 TP07 Cork, IrelandSchool of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, T12 TP07 Cork, IrelandThe increasing demand for plant-based foods has led to significant growth in the availability, at a retail level, of plant-based cheese analogue products. This study presents the first comprehensive benchmarking of commercially available plant-based cheese analogue (PBCA) products in the Irish market, comparing them against conventional cheddar and processed dairy cheeses. A total of 16 cheese products were selected from Irish retail outlets, comprising five block-style plant-based analogues, seven slice-style analogues, two cheddar samples, and two processed cheese samples. Results showed that plant-based cheese analogues had significantly lower protein content (0.1–1.7 g/100 g) than cheddar (25 g/100 g) and processed cheese (12.9–18.2 g/100 g) and lacked a continuous protein matrix, being instead stabilized largely by solid fats, starch, and hydrocolloids. While cheddar showed the highest hardness, some plant-based cheeses achieved comparable hardness using texturizing agents but still demonstrated lower tan δ<sub>max</sub> values, indicating inferior melting behaviour. Thermograms of differential scanning calorimetry presented a consistent single peak at ~20 °C across most vegan-based variants, unlike the dual-phase melting transitions observed in dairy cheeses. Sensory analysis further highlighted strong negative associations between PBCAs and consumer-relevant attributes such as flavour, texture, and overall acceptability. By integrating structural, functional, and sensory findings, this study identifies key formulation and performance deficits across cheese formats and provides direction for targeted improvements in next-generation PBCA product development.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2701plant-based cheesedairy cheesemicrostructuremeltabilityrheologytexture |
| spellingShingle | Farhan Ali James A. O’Mahony Maurice G. O’Sullivan Joseph P. Kerry Comparative Analysis of Composition, Texture, and Sensory Attributes of Commercial Forms of Plant-Based Cheese Analogue Products Available on the Irish Market Foods plant-based cheese dairy cheese microstructure meltability rheology texture |
| title | Comparative Analysis of Composition, Texture, and Sensory Attributes of Commercial Forms of Plant-Based Cheese Analogue Products Available on the Irish Market |
| title_full | Comparative Analysis of Composition, Texture, and Sensory Attributes of Commercial Forms of Plant-Based Cheese Analogue Products Available on the Irish Market |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Analysis of Composition, Texture, and Sensory Attributes of Commercial Forms of Plant-Based Cheese Analogue Products Available on the Irish Market |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Analysis of Composition, Texture, and Sensory Attributes of Commercial Forms of Plant-Based Cheese Analogue Products Available on the Irish Market |
| title_short | Comparative Analysis of Composition, Texture, and Sensory Attributes of Commercial Forms of Plant-Based Cheese Analogue Products Available on the Irish Market |
| title_sort | comparative analysis of composition texture and sensory attributes of commercial forms of plant based cheese analogue products available on the irish market |
| topic | plant-based cheese dairy cheese microstructure meltability rheology texture |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2701 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT farhanali comparativeanalysisofcompositiontextureandsensoryattributesofcommercialformsofplantbasedcheeseanalogueproductsavailableontheirishmarket AT jamesaomahony comparativeanalysisofcompositiontextureandsensoryattributesofcommercialformsofplantbasedcheeseanalogueproductsavailableontheirishmarket AT mauricegosullivan comparativeanalysisofcompositiontextureandsensoryattributesofcommercialformsofplantbasedcheeseanalogueproductsavailableontheirishmarket AT josephpkerry comparativeanalysisofcompositiontextureandsensoryattributesofcommercialformsofplantbasedcheeseanalogueproductsavailableontheirishmarket |