FIELD OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The field of the embodiments relate to a plant-based yogurt product and method of making the product using specific steps and ratios in order to produce a desired consistency and texture.

BACKGROUND OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Yogurt products are enjoyed by people around the world. A conventional yogurt is produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Specifically, to produce a conventional yogurt, milk is heated, and then a bacterial culture is mixed into the heated milk, and the mixture is maintained at an elevated temperature to allow fermentation.

There has been rapid growth in consumption of various plant-based products, including milk alternatives, based on soy, almond, hemp, cashew, flax, etc. The growth of these non-dairy milk alternatives has been driven by favorable flavor and textures of these milks, as well as their lower calorie contents. Importantly, another driver has been the overall trend toward more plant-based diets for health and environmental reasons.

To meet this consumer demand for plant-based products and diets, common dairy products, like cheese or milk, are increasingly consumed in plant-based product forms. In this regard, there are plant-based yogurt products available, such as almond yogurt, cashew yogurt or soy yogurt. Soy yogurts products having acceptable thickness, texture and protein without using additives can be easily made, and they are commercially available, but many consumers object to the soybean taste, and there are other consumers who wish to minimize intake of soy products in general. The taste, ingredient and/or nutritional profiles of the other plant-based yogurt products made for example using specific nuts or seeds are less than favorable. For instance, such plant-based yogurt products often contain a range of additives or processed ingredients to provide a yogurt-like thickness and texture; they typically have high added carbohydrate content to provide body and flavor; and/or they often have low protein content. There are significant challenges in formulating and making these plant-based yogurt products with the full combination of acceptable appearance, thickness, flavor, texture, ingredients and nutritional profile.

Use of pulses or legumes in yogurt, other than soybean, is very challenging due to a combination of issues related to taste, thickness, texture, appearance and processability. A review of the prior art follows:

WIPO Publication 2016172570A1 pertains a non-dairy substitute which can be produced from comparatively high starch legumes, such as chickpeas and adzuki beans. In some examples, the non-dairy substitute is produced by hydrating the high starch legumes, remove excess water, and then heating the hydrated high starch legumes in the presence of water and amylase at a controlled pH to reduce the starch content of the legumes. The slurry of reduced starch content can then be filtered to remove insoluble fiber and suspended soluble fiber present in the legume slurry, producing a non-dairy “milk” that can be used in a variety of products. In different examples, the legume “milk” is cultured with the addition of bacterial cultures to form a cheese or yogurt and/or formed into a non-dairy ice cream. In any application, an acidifying ingredient such as citric acid may be added to the product. This can help reduce or eliminate residual legume flavor.

U.S. Pub. 2010/0098789 pertains to a turmeric, turmeric components, curcumin or curcuminoid modified nut or seed butter spread which is resistant to oxidation with improved cu/co/tc/tu/mx solubility and possessing some human health benefits comprising: 0.2-70% of components selected from the group consisting of curcumin, curcuminoids, turmeric components and turmeric; and 30-99.8% of nut or seed particles and/or nut/seed butters as a dispersing medium. This spread has increased resistance to oxidation and bacterial attack as compared to the nut or seed butter alone. Based on health studies of curcumin, the modified nut or seed butter spread is also expected to have significant preventative health benefits including effectiveness as a chemopreventive, anti-Alzheimer's, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial agent. The nut/seed butter medium improves the solubility and bioavailability of cu/co/tc/tu/mx.

WIPO Publication 2013010037 pertains to methods and compositions for the production of cheese replicas. Generally the cheese replicas are produced by inducing the enzymatic curdling of non-dairy milks.

However, there is still a need for a yogurt product that mitigates the significant challenges in using pulses or legumes other than soybeans in yogurt products. This is concurrent with the need for innovative plant-based yogurt products beyond soy that offer the full combination of attractive taste, thickness, texture, appearance and nutritional profile with a short and simple list of whole and unprocessed natural ingredients.

SUMMARY OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In general, the present invention and its embodiments describe a plant-based yogurt product and method of making the product using specific steps and ratios in order to produce a desired consistency, texture, taste, and appearance.

