What exactly does vegan cheese, analogue cheese, artificial cheese or imitation cheese mean?
A cheese customer recently told us: “The food has probably never been as cheap as it is today – but it has never been as bad as it is today.”
The food industry is always looking for new ways to make our food even cheaper and to maximize profits. Obviously she does not stop us at the cheese.
That as a vegan on cheese imitations must take back is clear and perfectly fine. If you want to give up milkCheese milk is the milk intended for the production of cheese, also with the concomitant use of buttermilk products, cream products, sweet whey, sour whey and whey cream (whey cream) » More info, there is no other way. The cheese lover may look a little different. Due to many customer questions, we have put together the following cheese contribution.
The production of vegan cheese, artificial cheese – analog cheese
Vegan cheese, analogue cheese, artificial cheese or cheese imitation are food products that resemble cheese cheese when compared to real cheese. One major difference is that these artifacts are not made from milk or milk products. Analog cheese, vegan cheese are art words, because there is no food in the market under this name to buyThe purchase of food and cheese via the Internet. A big and very interesting topic in this area will probably be the easy and quick access to specialties such as - for examle - cheese. » More info.
In art cheese production, milk fatThe dry matter refers to that portion of the cheese that remains after removal of the water contained. The more water is removed from the cheese, the lower its dry matter and vice versa. » More info is simply replaced by (sometimes cheap) vegetable fats and oils. Depending on the composition, starch, salts, emulsifiers, flavors, colors, flavor enhancers, water, vegetable proteinCasein is a constituent of the protein (protein) of cow's milk, which is obtained for cheese production. » More info or milk powder are added (with milk powder, it is no longer a vegan product – read the contents carefully). The following video shows the production of artificial cheese.
For flavor optimization, sometimes also mixtures of cheese and cheese analogous (eg grated mixtures) in the trade.
Cheese imitations are much less expensive to produce and therefore much cheaper than real cheese. So there is no cheese ripeningAerobic cheese ripening means cheese ripening with oxygen. » More info, no cheese careTo protect the cheese wheel, it is put into salt bath or turned into dry salt. The salt removes water from the cheese and it dries faster. So the rind is formed. » More info etc. One advantage there: The cheese meltingMelting cheese is a proven process to refine and make it more durable. » More info behavior and heat resistance are much better than real cheese.
In which products is analog cheese or artificial cheese?
Analog cheese is mainly used in ready-made food components for prepared meals, in restaurants or in bakeries. Typical products are e.g. Lasagna, pizza, cheese sticks, fast food products, and much more. In Germany, it is estimated that the gigantic quantity of 100,000 tonnes of artificial cheese per year is produced.
The labeling of cheese imitations
According to European and national law, the term cheese is reserved for products made exclusively from milk. Once a milk ingredient is partially replaced, for. B. Milk fat by vegetable oils or fats, may the term “cheese” – even in word components are no longer used.
It follows from this labeling requirement that designations such as artificial cheese, analog cheese, cheese imitation, laboratory cheese, plastic cheese, etc., are prohibited for products in which the milk fat has been replaced with vegetable fat.
For the consumer, this means that he can only recognize products with fake cheese by the fact that the word “cheese” or a certain type of cheese is missing in the list of ingredients. Instead of cheese, vegetable fats, oils, starches and flavorings are used in product labeling.
More problematic is the use of a cheese mix of cheese and cheese imitation, since the list of ingredients mentions the cheese, but the term “artisan” indicates only the ingredients.
For loose goods and in the catering, the use of analog cheese in the descriptionCheese packaging must have certain markings. The purpose of these markings is to protect the consumer from deception and to announce the supply of certain information about the product. » More info of the food must be explained in the billboard, in the menu or on the sign on the goods werden.So example rolls with imitation cheese not “cheese rolls” hot, but “rolls with Plaque from vegetable fat “.