Danish KMC Launches New Potato Starch Based Solution for Vegan Cheese

Cheese lovers that cannot or will not eat cheese have to look for vegan options to add a savory note to their food. With the new CheeseMaker solutions from Danish Potato Starch manufacturer KMC, it has now become easier to formulate products for this growing consumer segment. Based on potato starch and naturally GMO-free and non-allergenic, you can make healthy alternatives for grated, shredded and sliced cheese.

Recent global product launch activity reinforces the growing popularity of new product development on a vegan platform. Innova Market Insights reported a 60% increase in product launches with a vegan claim in 2013 from 2012, and a further 52% increase in 2014 from 2013, albeit from a small base. This indicates that food manufacturers are indeed accommodating this lifestyle trend. The leading market sub-categories in 2014 for vegan claims on a global basis were juice & juice drinks (5.4%), cereal & energy bars (5%) and savory/salty snacks (4.9%).

Dairy proteins build texture in cheese. They form a protein network and they emulsify fat. The new and innovative potato-based starch solutions that KMC has developed in their Application Centre in Denmark can match the functional properties of dairy proteins. This will result in imitation cheese that has a cheese-like appearance and texture. The CheeseMaker CF series contains products for semi-hard block cheese, such as pizza cheese or sliced cheese. Use the CheeseMaker CF75 for its excellent melting characteristics. You can make cheese shreds for gratins or pizza – or use it sliced as an alternative to a table cheese or melt it on a sandwich. Vegan cheese products made with CheeseMaker CF75 have an elastic and cheese-like texture.

If you look for an even better meltability and a superb flowability, the CheeseMaker CF77 is an excellent choice. Use it at high dosage and get an extra firm texture that will make it easy to shred in an industrial shredder.

For some applications, such as salad dice or fried products, you need a low meltability or even a product that is resistant to melting. Use CheeseMaker CF55 to make a firm product that will perform well in these applications.

CheeseMaker solutions are potato-based, which guarantees a neutral taste and a white color. This makes it easy to add additional flavor and color. Some ingredients used in vegan cheese can have very characteristic flavors that are not associated with dairy. As potato starch does not have a distinct flavor, there is no need for masking any off-taste, which will make it easier to add exactly the right cheese flavor. You might therefore experience that you can use lower levels of flavors, when working with CheeseMaker potato-based solutions.

Dairy-free and vegan cheese products made with the CheeseMaker CF series contain only few ingredients. The lean label and the non-allergenic and GMO-free status of potato starch will make these products of interest for all health-oriented consumers. Taking out dairy proteins from your cheese formulation and replacing them with CheeseMaker specialty starches will often reduce your ingredient costs considerably. This will make these products available to all consumer groups.