Novel plant-based cream cheese: A tribology perspective

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of the melting point of fat on the tribological properties of a plant-based oil-in-water emulsion, developed as a plant-based cream cheese analog. The system was composed of a viscous continuous phase, containing pea protein as an emulsifier, and pea and potato fibers as thickeners, along with liquid or solid oils with transition temperature closed to body temperature (25–45 °C). All emulsions presented shear thinning properties, along with a viscoelastic behaviour, with η₁ varying between 85 and 155 Pa s, while the type of oil impacted both on the emulsion stability and on the physical properties. A mechanism for the observed tribology profile was proposed, where the oil composition and its physical state (ie solid fat or liquid oil) in the plant-based emulsion impacts greatly on the friction coefficient (μ₃₀ ∼0,15–0,3). This work will benefit future studies relating physical properties to sensory attributes of food emulsion products, and to inform the design of water-in-oil food emulsions with controlled structures, to impart desired rheology and tribological properties.