INCORPORATION OF SOY PROTEIN IN CHEESE

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for preparing a cheese, preferably a natural cheese containing a remarkable amount of soy proteins. SOLUTION: Soy ingredients are treated with an enzyme (preferably a proteolytic enzyme) to form hydrolyzed soy ingredients. The enzyme-treated soy ingredients can be combined with casein micelles. After a thermal treatment step for inactivating the enzyme, the soy protein hydrolyzate is mixed with a milk substrate, and the mixture is preferably coagulated with conventional rennet to form curds and whey. The curds are separated from the whey, subjected to a conventional cheese-preparing procedure to convert the curds into cheese. When the first enzymatic treatment is not carried out, the un-treated soy ingredients prevent the coagulation of milk, thereby preventing the formation of a conventional cheese curd. The partially hydrolyzed soy proteins do remarkably not hinder a milk coagulation mechanism. A cheese containing the soy ingredients in an amount of up to about 30% can be obtained.