| abstract |
The invention relates to a method of producing a plant- based oil-in-water emulsion comprising the steps of providing an ingredient composition which is free from dairy protein, said composition comprising 1.5 to 5 wt. %, preferably 2 to 5 wt. % proteins, wherein the protein consist of plant protein only, 0.5 to 10.5 wt%, preferably 1.5 to 7.5 wt% of oil, and having a pH of 5.3 - 6.7, preferably 5.6 - 6.6, optionally adding divalent cations to provide a concentration of 1 - 5 mM free divalent cations in the ingredient composition, optionally adding monovalent cations to provide a concentration of 1 - 20 mM free monovalent cations in the ingredient composition and homogenizing and subsequently heat treating the ingredient composition to a temperature of 80°- 100°C for a period of 0.5 - 15 min or an ultra high temperature (UHT) heat treatment above 135°C for 3 to 30 s to form agglomerated proteins comprising plant proteins and oil, and shearing the composition during or after the heat treatment to reduce the size of the agglomerated proteins, the agglomerates having a size of 5 to 50 microns as measured by D(4,3) mean diameter as measured by laser diffraction after the shearing. The invention also relates to a plant-based oil-in-water emulsion obtained by the method, and a use of the plant-based oil-in-water emulsion for the use in food and beverage products. |