WO2025045796A1

WO2025045796A1 - Powdered food emulsion compositions with lentil proteins

Info

Publication number: WO2025045796A1
Application number: PCT/EP2024/073772
Authority: WO
Inventors: Léa BUSWELL; Armand ROUCHER; Klara HAAS; Luca AMAGLIANI; Olivier Schafer
Original assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA; Nestle SA
Current assignee: Societe des Produits Nestle SA; Nestle SA
Priority date: 2023-08-28
Filing date: 2024-08-26
Publication date: 2025-03-06
Anticipated expiration: 2026-02-28

Abstract

The invention relates to a powdered food emulsion composition. It comprises at least one fat ingredient and a lentil protein ingredient. The lentil protein ingredient is selected from the list consisting of lentil protein concentrate, lentil flour or a mixture thereof. Moreover, the lentil proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed. The invention also relates to a method for preparing such a powdered food emulsion composition.

Description

POWDERED FOOD EMULSION COMPOSITIONS WITH LENTIL PROTEINS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the field of powdered food emulsion compositions comprising plant proteins. For example, the present invention relates to powdered food emulsion compositions comprising lentil protein ingredient and method for preparing such food emulsion compositions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Food emulsions, in particular dairy emulsions such as milks or creamers, are widely consumed. They can be liquid or in powder form. Food emulsions in powder form, e.g. powdered milk or powdered creamer, appear as an advantageous and convenient format to food producers and consumers. Indeed, powders have extended shelf life and are generally easy to handle.

Some consumers wish to reduce or even stop their consumption of milk and ingredients derived from milk. For example, this can be for reasons of lactose intolerance, dairy allergies, or environmental sustainability.

To meet this growing demand, there is a need to provide food emulsions, in particular dairy emulsion analogues, in powder form prepared with lower amount of or without milk or ingredients derived from milk. This can be achieved by replacing milk and ingredients derived from milk by plant-based ingredients.

There were attempts to prepare powdered food emulsions, such as powdered creamers, with plant-based ingredients. However, these emulsions are generally not satisfactory.

First, these powdered emulsions are generally prepared with soy-based ingredients, such as soy proteins, as a partial or total substitute to milk and/or milk ingredients. However, some consumers reduce or avoid the consumption of products comprising soy-based ingredients for health, nutritional and sustainability reasons. For example, some consumers suffer from soy allergies.

In addition, these powdered emulsions may be prepared with plant protein isolates, which are highly refined ingredients. However, plant protein isolates are not advantageous for several reasons. First, they require high energy processing to be produced, they are viewed as highly refined ingredients, and they have higher cost. Second, they are generally produced through process including precipitation steps. The precipitation steps generally result in proteins in an aggregated state that may negatively impact protein functionality, in particular when used in food and beverage applications. For example, the aggregated state of the proteins tends to change their emulsion stabilization properties, worsening the final emulsion structure.

Less refined ingredients, such as flour or plant protein concentrate, tend to be avoided as they could be difficult to process. Indeed, they comprise compounds, e.g. fibers, that could be unstable, or could generate too high viscosity or unsatisfactory texture over emulsion manufacturing process. To overcome processing challenges for less refined ingredients, they are generally enzymatically treated to hydrolyse relevant compounds, such as fibers, starch or proteins. However, enzymatictreatments are generally difficult to handle at an industrial scale and can be expensive. In addition, plant protein hydrolysis improves plant protein solubility but at the same time tends to decrease surface active properties of the plant proteins. As a result, hydrolysed plant proteins have generally lower emulsion stabilization properties compared to non-hydrolysed plant proteins.

In short, the powdered food emulsions prepared plant-based ingredients on the market may be improved as they generally suffer from limited emulsion stability properties.

Moreover, the powdered food emulsions prepared with plant-based ingredients on the market may also be improved as they have limited reconstitution properties in cold and hot liquid.

In particular, the powdered food emulsions prepared with plant-based ingredients on the market are not suitable for cold applications. In particular, upon reconstitution in cold liquids, they generally exhibit low cold reconstitution and/or wetting properties. This results in the presence of lumps formed of insolubilized powder. These lumps result in a final product with unpleasant visual and sensory properties. Moreover, as the powdered emulsion is not fully reconstituted, the intake of micro- and macro- nutrients may be adversely impacted. These cold reconstitution challenges are even higherfor food emulsions comprising significant amount of fat, such as plant-based creamers.

In addition, powdered food emulsions prepared with plant-based ingredients, in particular powdered plant-based creamer analogues, may comprise high ratio of surface fat. This reduces wettability performance of the powdered food emulsions and so increases reconstitution time. In addition, fat oxidation is facilitated and enhanced during shelf-life in presence of high ratio of surface fat. As a result, the obtained powdered food emulsions have unpleasant sensory properties.

Finally, the powdered food emulsions prepared with plant-based ingredients may also be improved as they have poor stability and tend to flocculate when added in acidic and/or hard beverage, such as coffee. This poor stability in acidic and/or hard beverage, such as coffee negatively impacts, inter alia, the sensory properties of the food emulsion and so negatively impacts the consumption experience of the food emulsion.

It would therefore be desirable to provide powdered food emulsions, preferably powdered creamers, prepared with plant-based ingredients having good sensory properties while providing good emulsion stability properties, in particular providing emulsions with fat droplets as small as possible.

It would be desirable that the plant-based ingredients, in particular plant-based protein ingredients are minimally refined ingredients such as plant protein concentrate or flour.

Preferably, it would further be desirable that the powdered food emulsions, preferably powdered creamers, which have good reconstitution properties and/or wetting properties, particularly when reconstituted in hot liquids and cold liquids.

Preferably, it would further be desirable to provide powdered food emulsions, preferably powdered creamers, that have good stability properties when added in beverages with acidic pH and/or with important hardness, such as coffee.

Preferably, it would further be desirable that the plant-based ingredients, in particular plant-based protein ingredients are not hydrolysed, in particular via enzymatic hydrolysis.

Preferably, it would further be desirable that the powdered food emulsions are free from soy.

Any reference to prior art documents in this specification is not to be considered an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to improve the state of the art, and in particular to provide a composition and a process that overcome the problems of the prior art and address the needs described above, or at least to provide a useful alternative. The inventors were surprised to see that the object of the present invention could be achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims further develop the idea of the present invention.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the invention proposes a powdered food emulsion composition, which comprises at least one fat ingredient and a lentil protein ingredient, wherein the lentil protein ingredient is selected from the list consisting of lentil protein concentrate, lentil flour or a mixture thereof, and wherein the lentil proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed.

A second aspect of the invention proposes a method for preparing a powdered food emulsion composition, the method comprises the steps of: dispersing at least one lentil protein ingredient in an aqueous liquid to form a lentil protein dispersion, wherein the lentil protein ingredient is selected from the list consisting of lentil protein concentrate, lentil flour or a mixture thereof, and wherein the lentil proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed, adding a fat ingredient, and optionally added emulsifier and/or added carbohydrate ingredient, in the lentil protein dispersion to form a food pre-emulsion, homogenizing the food pre-emulsion to obtain a food emulsion, heat treating the food emulsion to obtain a heat-treated food emulsion, drying the heat-treated food emulsion to form a powdered food emulsion composition.

It has been discovered that the use of lentil protein ingredients which are minimally refined, such as lentil protein concentrate or flour, provides powdered food emulsion compositions with improved properties, in particular compared to other type of source of proteins or type of protein ingredient format (e.g. protein isolate). Especially, the obtained powdered food emulsion compositions have not only good sensory properties but also good emulsion stability properties. In particular, they exhibit fat droplets as small as possible. This low fat droplet size contributes to good emulsion stability and limits destabilization phenomenon, such as creaming, during processing/manufacturing of the powdered food emulsion compositions. In addition, such powdered food emulsion may also exhibit improved reconstitution and/or wetting properties in cold and hot liquids. They may also exhibit improved stability in hard and/or acidic beverages, such as coffee. These and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of embodiments of the invention, in connection with the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows microscopy images displaying the emulsion microstructures, before spray drying, of the reference soy-based creameranalogue of example 4 (-soy protein isolate), the reference powdered lentil-based creamer analogue C of example 5 (=lentil protein isolate), the invention lentil-based creamer analogues A (=lentil protein concentrate) of example 2 and the invention lentil-based creamer analogues B of example 2 (=lenti I flour). The scale bar is 20 pm.

Figure 2 shows particle size distribution of the reference soy-based creamer analogue of example 4 (=soy isolate), the reference powdered lentil-based creamer analogue C of example 5 (=lentil isolate), the invention lentil-based creamer analogues A (=lentil concentrate) of example 2 and the invention lentil-based creamer analogues B of example 2 (=lenti I flour).

Figure 3 shows reconstitution kinetics of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2 (=lentil P:C-70:30), the reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue of example 4 (=soy P:C-70:30), and the reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue S2 (=soy-coconut fat) The reconstitution kinetics is assessed by measuring the conductivity over time.

Figure 4 shows pictures of the reconstitution of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2 after 1 second (left picture) or after 30 seconds (right picture) after addition in water.

Figure 5 shows pictures of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2 (left picture) and the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue B of example 2 (right picture) 10 minutes after addition in cold coffee.

Figure 6 shows microscopy images displaying the emulsion microstructures, before spray drying, of the invention lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2 (picture A) and the reference pea-based creamer analogue of example 6 (picture B). The scale bar is 10 pm. Figure 7 shows pictures of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2 (picture A) and the reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue of example 6 (picture B) 10 minutes after addition in cold coffee.

Figure 8 shows microscopy images displaying the emulsion microstructures, before spray drying, of the invention lentil-based creamer analogue A. bis of example 11 (picture A) and the reference soy-based creamer analogue S.bis of example 11 (picture B). The scale bar is 10 pm.

Figure 9 shows pictures of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A. bis of example 11 (picture A), the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Bl. bis of example 11 (picture B) and the reference soy-based creamer analogue S.bis (picture C) 10 minutes after addition in cold coffee.

Figure 10 shows microscopy images displaying the emulsion microstructures, after reconstitution in water, of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A.bis of example 11 (picture A) and the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Bl. bis of example 11 (picture B). The scale bar is 10 pm.

Figure 11 shows microscopy shows the average score obtained on different sensory attributes (whitening, bitterness, astringency, mouthcoating, flavor intensity, odour intensity) for the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A of example 2 (=lentil-based creamer), the reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue of example 7 (=pea-based creamer) and the reference powdered faba-based creamer analogue of example 7 were prepared (=faba-based creamer).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used herein, the words "comprise", "comprising" and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense, that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to", as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense. Likewise, the terms "include," "including" and "or" should all be construed to be inclusive, unless such a construction is clearly prohibited from the context. Nevertheless, the compositions/products disclosed herein may lack any element that is not specifically disclosed herein. Thus, a disclosure of an embodiment using the term "comprising" includes a disclosure of embodiments "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of" the components identified.

As used in the specification, the word "about" should be understood to apply to each bound in a range of numerals. Moreover, all numerical ranges herein should be understood to include all integers, whole or fractions, within the range. Moreover, these numerical ranges should be construed as providing support for a claim directed to any number or subset of numbers in that range. For example, a disclosure of from 1 to 10 should be construed as supporting a range of from 1 to 8, from 3 to 7, from 1 to 9, from 3.6 to 4.6, from 3.5 to 9.9, and so forth.

As used in the specification, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a lentil protein ingredient" or "the lentil protein ingredient" includes one lentil protein ingredient but also two or more lentil protein ingredients.

Unless noted otherwise, all percentages in the specification refer to weight percent, where applicable.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms have and should be given the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

As used herein, the term "and/or" used in the context of "X and/or Y" should be interpreted as "X," or "Y," or "X and Y.". Similarly, "at least one of X or Y" should be interpreted as "X," or "Y," or "both X and Y ". For example, "vegetable oil and/or vegetable oil fraction" means "vegetable oil" or "vegetable oil fraction" or "both vegetable oil and vegetable oil fraction".

As used herein, the terms "example", "such as" and "e.g." particularly when followed by a listing of terms, are merely exemplary and illustrative and should not be deemed to be exclusive or comprehensive. But, a disclosure of an embodiment using the term "example" and "such as" includes a disclosure of embodiments" where the terms are exclusive and/or comprehensive.

As used herein, the term "fat ingredient" refers to a food ingredient that comprises fat, in particular at least 80wt.% fat, preferably 80 to 100 wt.%, more preferably 95 to 100wt.% fat.

As used herein, the term "added carbohydrate ingredient" refers to food ingredients that comprise at least 60wt.%, preferably at least 80wt.% carbohydrates and that bring exogenous carbohydrates in the powdered food emulsion composition. For avoidance of doubt, this term excludes the lentil protein ingredient, the fat ingredient, the added emulsifier, the buffer, milk, plant-based milk analogue, cream, plant-based cream analogue that may inherently comprise carbohydrates. As used herein, the term "milk ingredient" refers to milk and any food ingredients derived from milk.

As used herein, the term "plant-based milk analogue" refers to a food product which comprises ingredients of plant origin, which is free from dairy and which has qualities as to appearance, and texture as the corresponding real dairy milk. Preferably, the milk analogue is exclusively made from vegan ingredients.

As used herein, the term "plant-based cream analogue" refers to a food product which comprises ingredients of plant origin, which is free from dairy and which has qualities as to appearance, and texture as the corresponding real dairy cream. Preferably, the cream analogue is exclusively made from vegan ingredients.

As used herein, the term "powdered plant-based milk analogue composition" refers to a powdered composition which comprises ingredients of plant origin, which is free from dairy and which has qualities as to appearance, and texture as the corresponding real powdered milk compositions. Preferably, the powdered plant-based milk analogue composition is exclusively made from vegan ingredients.

As used herein, the term "powdered plant-based creamer analogue composition" refers to a powdered composition which comprises ingredients of plant origin, which is free from dairy and which has qualities as to appearance, and texture as the corresponding real powdered creamer compositions. Preferably, the powdered plant-based milk analogue composition is exclusively made from vegan ingredients.

As used herein, the term "vegan" refers to an edible composition which is entirely devoid of animal products, or animal derived products.

As used herein, the term "vegetarian" refers to an edible composition which is devoid of meat, including fish.

As used herein, the term "total protein" refers to all proteins of a given product, composition or ingredient.

As used herein, the term "non-proteic" refers to compounds which are not proteins.

In a first aspect, the invention relates to a powdered food emulsion composition. In a preferred embodiment, the powdered food emulsion is a powdered food oil-in-water emulsion composition. In a more preferred embodiment, the powdered food emulsion is selected from the list consisting of powdered milk composition, powdered creamer composition, powdered plant-based milk analogue composition, powdered plant-based creamer analogue composition or a combination thereof. In a more preferred embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is powdered creamer composition or powdered plant-based creamer analogue composition. In a most preferred embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is a powdered plant-based creamer analogue composition.

In some embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is not powdered plant-based cheese composition.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is spray dried and/or agglomerated.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is not a powdered gel. In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is not extruded. In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is free from any added coagulating agent. An added coagulating agent is an agent that is added to coagulate proteins, in particular lentil proteins. In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is free from any non-proteic gelling agents. For example, non-proteic gelling agent may be selected from the list consisting of gellan gum, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, carboxymethylcellulose, cellulose, agar, acacia gum, pectin, tara gum, alginate, carrageenan, and mixtures thereof.

Gelation and/or coagulation and/or extrusion of lentil proteins are not desirable as they may impact emulsion stabilization properties of lentil proteins. Similarly, they are undesirable as they may also negatively impact cold reconstitution properties of the powdered food emulsion composition. In addition, when reconstituted in a liquid, it is desirable that the powdered food emulsion composition provides a liquid or semi-liquid food emulsion which is homogenous as it can be expected for creamer compositions or milk compositions. Hence, gelled and/or extruded products are undesirable.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition has a particle size d50 ranging from 100 to 500 pm, preferably 180 to 350 pm. The particle size d50 is used in the conventional sense for particle size distributions by volume. The d50 is the size in microns that splits the volume distribution with half above and half below this diameter. The particle size distribution may be measured by laser light scattering, microscopy or microscopy combined with image analysis. For example, the particle size distribution may be measured by laser light scattering.

The powdered food emulsion composition comprises at least one fat ingredient. The fat ingredient may be selected from the list consisting of vegetable oil, fractionated butterfat, butterfat, or a mixture thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the fat ingredient consists only of vegetable oil and/or vegetable oil fraction.

Vegetable oil according to the invention may be any oil suitable for human consumption derived from plant or algal material. Vegetable oil fraction according to the invention refers to fat composition which is obtained by fractionation of vegetable oil(s).

In an embodiment, the vegetable oil and/or vegetable oil fraction may be selected from the list consisting of seed oil, algal oil, palm oil, bean oil, oil from nuts, oil from cereal, any fractions thereof or a mixture thereof.

In a further embodiment, the vegetable oil may be selected from the list consisting of coconut oil, rapeseed oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed oil, high oleic sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, cotton seed oil, olive oil, algal oil, palm olein, medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil, soybean oil, high oleic soybean oil, oil from nuts, corn oil or a combination thereof.

In a more preferred embodiment, the fat ingredient is a combination of coconut oil and vegetable oil different from coconut oil and/or fraction thereof. Preferably, the fat ingredient is a blend of coconut oil and vegetable oil different from coconut oil and/or fraction thereof.

In an embodiment, the vegetable oil different from coconut oil and/or fraction thereof may be selected from the list consisting of rapeseed oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed oil, high oleic sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, cotton seed oil, olive oil, algal oil, palm olein, medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil, soybean oil, high oleic soybean oil, oil from nuts, corn oil or a combination thereof. Preferably, the vegetable oil different from coconut oil and/or fraction thereof may be selected from the list consisting of rapeseed oil, canola oil, sunflower seed oil, high oleic sunflower seed oil, palm oil, palm olein, medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil or a combination thereof. Most preferably, the vegetable oil different from coconut oil is palm olein. The combination of vegetable oil different from coconut oil and/or fraction thereof may be provided as a blend of or as interesterified vegetable oil(s) different from coconut oil and/or fraction(s) thereof.

The vegetable oil, in particular the coconut oil and/or vegetable oil different from coconut oil and/or fraction of vegetable oil different from coconut oil may be in hydrogenated form or in non-hydrogenated form.

In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of coconut oil to vegetable oil different from coconut oil is of 3:7 to 6:4. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the use of a blend coconut oil and vegetable oil different from coconut oil with a specific ratio retains good sensory properties, good wetting properties and good cold reconstitution properties in powdered food emulsion compositions.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition comprises 5 to 40wt.%, preferably 15 to 30wt.% fat ingredient by dry weight.

In an embodiment, the fat of the fat ingredient of the powdered food emulsion composition comprises vegetable fat and/or milk fat. Preferably, the fat of the fat ingredient of the powdered food emulsion compositions consists only of vegetable fat.

In a further embodiment, the fat of the powdered food emulsion composition comprises vegetable fat and/or milk fat. Preferably, the fat of the powdered food emulsion composition consists only of vegetable fat.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition comprises 5 to 45wt.%, preferably 15 to 35 wt.% fat by dry weight.

It has been shown that it was possible to prepare powdered food emulsion compositions with good emulsion stability properties, including small fat droplets and/or enhanced hot and/or cold reconstitution and/or wetting properties in presence of significant amount of fat.

The powdered food emulsion composition further comprises a lentil protein ingredient. The lentil protein ingredient is selected from the list consisting of lentil protein concentrate, lentil flour or a mixture thereof.

It has been shown that the use of lentil proteins provides powdered food emulsion compositions with good sensory properties, including limited off-notes and good emulsion stability properties, including small fat droplets. In addition, the use of lentil proteins may further provide powdered food emulsion compositions with good reconstitution and/or wetting properties, in particular enhanced hot and cold reconstitution and/or wetting properties. Moreover, the use of lentil proteins may further provide powdered food emulsion compositions with good stability properties when added in beverages with acidic pH and/or with important hardness, such as coffee. It has been shown that these different properties can be achieved even with the use of less refined lentil protein ingredients, such as lentil protein concentrate or flour and/or in presence of significant amount of fat, e.g. for creamer applications. The lentil protein ingredient is a food ingredient that comprises lentil proteins. In other words, the proteins of the lentil protein ingredient comprise lentil proteins. Preferably, at least 80%, preferably at least 90%, more preferably at least 95% of the total protein of the lentil protein ingredient consist of lentil proteins. Most preferably, the proteins of the lentil protein ingredient consist only of lentil proteins.

In an embodiment, at least 50%, preferably at least 70%, more preferably at least 80%, even more preferably at least 90%, even more preferably at least 95% of the total protein of the powdered food emulsion composition consist of lentil proteins. Most preferably, all the proteins of the powdered food emulsion composition consist only of lentil proteins.

In an embodiment, the lentil protein ingredient is free from nuts, in particular almonds. In a further embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is free from nuts, in particular almonds.

In an embodiment, the lentil protein ingredient is free from nut proteins, in particular almond proteins. In a further embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is free from nut proteins, in particular almond proteins.

In some embodiment, the lentil protein ingredient has a total protein content of 20 to 70wt% by dry weight of the lentil protein ingredient. In some embodiment, the lentil protein ingredient has a total carbohydrate content of 10 to 60wt.% by dry weight the lentil protein ingredient. In some embodiment, the lentil protein ingredient has a moisture content of 3 to 10%. In some embodiment, the lentil protein ingredient further comprises a fat content of at least lwt%, preferably lwt% to 5wt%.

In some embodiment, the lentil flour has a total protein content of 20 to 40 wt% by dry weight of the lentil flour. In some embodiment, the lentil flour has a total carbohydrate content of 50 to 60wt% by dry weight of the lentil flour. In some embodiment, the lentil flour has a moisture content of 3 to 10%. In some embodiment, the lentil flour further comprises a fat content of at least lwt%, preferably lwt% to 5wt%.

In some embodiment, the lentil protein concentrate has a total protein content of 41 to 70 wt% by dry weight of the lentil protein concentrate. In some embodiment, the lentil protein concentrate has a total carbohydrate content of 10 to 20wt% by dry weight of the lentil protein concentrate. In some embodiment, the lentil protein concentrate has a moisture content of 3 to 10%. In some embodiment, the lentil protein concentrate further comprises a fat content of at least lwt%, preferably lwt%to 5wt%. In some embodiment, the lentil protein concentrate is dry fractionated. In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition comprises at least 0.5wt%, preferably 0.5 to 30wt.%, more preferably 0.75 to 30wt.%, even more preferably 1 to 20wt.%, even more preferably 1 to 10wt.%, even more preferably 1 to 5wt.%, most preferably 1 to 2wt% lentil proteins by dry weight.

Moreover, the lentil proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed, in particular are not enzymatically hydrolysed. In particular, the lentil proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed by any protein-degrading enzymes. Examples of protein degrading enzymes include protease and peptidase.

In a preferred embodiment, the proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed, in particular are not enzymatically hydrolysed. In particular, the proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed by any protein-degrading enzymes. Examples of protein degrading enzymes include protease and peptidase. More preferably, the proteins of the powdered food emulsion composition are not hydrolysed, in particular enzymatically hydrolysed. In particular, the proteins of the powdered food emulsion composition are not hydrolysed by any protein-degrading enzymes. Examples of protein degrading enzymes include protease and peptidase.

In an embodiment, the lentil protein ingredient is not hydrolysed, in particular enzymatically hydrolysed. In other words, none of the nutrients of the lentil protein ingredient, such as proteins, carbohydrates, fibers, fat, are hydrolyzed, in particular enzymatically hydrolyzed. For example, lentil protein ingredient is not treated with any enzyme selected from the group consisting of protein-degrading enzymes, carbohydratedegrading enzyme, fat-degrading enzymes, fiber-degrading enzymes and mixture thereof. Examples of protein degrading enzymes include protease, peptidase and mixture thereof. Examples of carbohydrate-degrading enzyme include lactase, maltase and mixture thereof. Examples of fiber-degrading enzymes include beta-glucanase, amylase, cellulase, xylase, pullulanase, pectinase, and mixture thereof.

In a further embodiment, the lentil protein ingredient is not treated enzymatically.

It has been shown that the use of lentil protein ingredient allows the provision powdered food emulsion composition with good emulsion stability, good sensory properties, good stability properties in acidic and/or hard beverages (e.g. coffee), and/or good cold/hot reconstitution/wetting properties without the need to use hydrolysis and/or enzymatic treatment. In an embodiment, the pH of the powdered food emulsion composition is greaterthan 6. Preferably, the pH of the powdered food emulsion composition is of 6 to 9.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition furthercomprises added emulsifier. The term "added emulsifier" refers to an emulsifier which is added as an ingredient in the composition of the powdered food emulsion composition, and which can be synthetic, natural, or modified from natural sources. The term "added emulsifier" excludes the lentil protein ingredient, the fat ingredient, the buffer, the added carbohydrate ingredient, the cream, the milk, the plant-based milk analogue and the plant-based milk cream. Examples of added emulsifier include mono- and diglycerides, lecithin, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, succinic acid esters of monoglycerides, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides and combination thereof.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition further may comprise added carbohydrate ingredient. Examples of added carbohydrate ingredient include sucrose, lactose, fructose, glucose, glucose syrup, maltose, molasses, honey, agave syrup, brown sugar, sucralose, maltodextrin, corn fiber and combination thereof.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition further comprises buffer, in particular buffer salt. The buffer, in particular buffer salt may be selected from the list consisting of Monosodium phosphate E339(i), Monopotassium phosphate E340 (i), Disodium phosphate E339 (ii). Dipotassium phosphate E340(ii), Di Potassium Phosphate INS340, Trisodium phosphate E339 (iii), Tripotassium phosphate E340 (iii), Sodium carbonate E500(i), Trisodium Citrate E331(iii), Sodium Hexameta Phosphate E452(i), Sodium Tri Poly Phosphate E451 , Tetra Sodium Pyrophosphate INS450 (iii), Sodium Hexametaphosphate I NS452i, Trisodium Citrate INS331 iii, sodium ortho phosphates, potassium orthophosphates, sodium polyphosphates, potassium polyphosphates, sodium monocarbonates, sodium bicarbonates, potassium monocarbonates, potassium bicarbonates, sodium citrates, potassium citrates, hexametaphosphate, citric acid and combination thereof. Preferably, the buffer, in particular buffer salt is selected from the list consisting of sodium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, citric acid and combination thereof.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition may further comprise an ingredient selected from the list consisting of milk, plant-based milk analogue, cream, plant-based cream analogue and mixture thereof. Preferably, the powdered food emulsion composition may further comprise selected from the list consisting of plant-based milk analogue, plant-based cream analogue and mixture thereof. In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition may further comprise added vitamins, added minerals, anti-foaming agents, surfactants, whitening agents (e.g., calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, etc.), stabilizers, preservatives, colours, flavours and/or spices.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is free from milk ingredients. In some embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is free from soy. In some embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is free from gluten.

The use of lentil proteins provides powdered food emulsion composition with good emulsion stability properties (incl. small fat droplet), and/or good sensory properties, and/or good stability properties in acidic and/or hard beverages, and/or good hot/cold reconstitution/wetting properties even in the absence of any dairy and/or soy ingredients and/or gluten.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is vegetarian.

In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition is vegan. When the powdered food emulsion composition is vegan, the powdered food emulsion

The use of lentil proteins provides powdered food emulsion composition with good emulsion stability properties (incl. small fat droplet), and/or good sensory properties, and/or good stability properties in acidic and/or hard beverages, and/or good hot/cold reconstitution/wetting properties even in vegan or vegetarian powdered food emulsion composition.

As mentioned above, the powdered food emulsion composition may have good reconstitution and/or wetting properties, including good cold reconstitution and/or wetting properties.

In a particular embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition may have a wetting time in cold water at 4°C below 30 seconds, preferably below 20 seconds, more preferably below 15 seconds, even more preferably below 12 seconds, most preferably below 10 seconds. The wetting time is measured by adding 10g of powdered food emulsion composition in 200mL of cold water at 4°C under no stirring. The wetting time corresponds to the time until complete sinking of the powder into the water. The complete sinking of the water powder into the water is assessed by visual inspection.

In a further embodiment, the powdered food emulsion composition may have a reconstitution time tgo of less than 18 seconds, preferably less than 15 seconds, more preferably less than 12 seconds. The reconstitution time tgo is measured by conductivity, for example with a conductometer and it corresponds to the time to reach 90% of the final conductivity. The conductivity is measured on samples prepared by reconstituting 10g of powdered food emulsion composition in 400mL of cold water, preferably mi II i-Q. water, at 4°C under stirring. For exam pie, the stirring may be performed with with a bottom magnetic stirrer at 500 rpm and an overhead stirrer at 100 rpm.

In a second aspect, the invention relates to a method for preparing a powdered food emulsion composition. The powdered food emulsion composition may be a powdered food emulsion composition as provided in the first aspect of the invention. In particular, the features of the powdered food emulsion composition provided in the first aspect of the invention may apply to the powdered food emulsion composition of the second aspect of the invention.

The method comprises a step of dispersing at least one lentil protein ingredient in an aqueous liquid to form a lentil protein dispersion. In some embodiment, the lentil protein dispersion is liquid or semi-liquid. In a preferred embodiment, the lentil protein dispersion has a viscosity of 50 to 200 mPa.s when measured at a shear rate of 300s ¹ and at a temperature of 65°C with a viscosimeter, in particular viscosimeter MCR502 (Anton Paar) equipped with cylinder cup CC27. This low viscosity for the lentil dispersion facilitates processability, including pumping, flowing and drying. In particular, if the viscosity is too high, this may block the pipes and also may prevent drying to form a powder.

The lentil protein ingredient is selected from the list consisting of lentil protein concentrate, lentil flour or a mixture thereof. The lentil proteins of the lentil proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed. In some embodiment, the lentil protein concentrate is dry fractionated. Most preferably, the lentil protein ingredient is lentil flour or a mixture of lentil flour and lentil protein concentrate.

The features of the lentil protein ingredient provided in the first aspect of the invention may apply to the lentil protein ingredient of the second aspect of the invention.

The aqueous liquid may be any liquid suitable for human consumption that comprises at least 80wt.% water, more preferably 90wt.% water, even more preferably at least 95wt.% water. Most preferably, the aqueous liquid is water.

In an embodiment, the process comprises a step of adding buffer, in particular buffer salt, into the aqueous liquid before the step of dispersing the least one lentil protein ingredient into said aqueous liquid. The buffer, in particular buffer salt may be buffer/buffer salt as provided in the first aspect of the invention.

The method further comprises a step of adding fat ingredient, and optionally added emulsifier and/or added carbohydrate ingredient, in the lentil protein dispersion to form a food pre-emulsion. The fat ingredient, the added emulsifier and the added carbohydrate ingredient may be respectively fat ingredient, added emulsifier and added carbohydrate ingredient as provided in the first aspect of the invention. In some embodiment, the food preemulsion is liquid or semi liquid. In a preferred embodiment, the food pre-emulsion has a viscosity of 50 to 200 mPa.s , when measured at a shear rate of 300s ¹ and at a temperature of 65°C with a viscosimeter, in particular viscosimeter MCR502 (Aaton Paar) equipped with cylinder cup CC27. This low viscosity for the food pre-emulsion facilitates processability, including pumping, flowing and drying. In particular, if the viscosity is too high, this may block the pipes and also may prevent drying to form a powder.

In an embodiment, the method may further comprise a step of adding in the lentil protein dispersion one or several ingredient(s) selected from the list consisting of milk, plantbased milk analogue, cream, plant-based cream analogue, added vitamins, added minerals, anti-foaming agents, surfactants, whitening agents, stabilizers, preservatives, colours, flavours and/or spices and mixture thereof. The whitening agent may a be a whitening agent as provided in the first aspect of the invention. The addition of said one or several ingredients may be made before, at the same time or after the addition of the fat ingredient. Said one or several ingredient(s) contribute(s) with the fat ingredient, the added emulsifier (if any) and the added carbohydrate ingredient (if any) to the preparation of the food pre-emulsion.

In an embodiment, the whitening agent may be added in the aqueous liquid at the same time as the buffer salt.

The method further comprises a step of homogenizing the food pre-emulsion to obtain a food emulsion. The homogenization step may be performed at a pressure above 50 bar. Preferably, the homogenizing step may be performed at a pressure of 50 bar to 700 bar. Further preferably, the homogenizing step may be performed at a pressure of 50 bar to 500 bar. More preferably, the homogenizing step may be performed at a pressure of 50 to 300 bar, from 100 to 300 bar or from 200 to 300 bar.

In a preferred embodiment, the homogenization step may be performed at a temperature from 50°C to 70°C. More preferably, the step may be performed at a temperature from 55°C to 65°C. In some embodiment, the food emulsion is liquid or semi liquid. In particular, the food emulsion retains liquid or semi liquid consistency after the homogenization step. In a preferred embodiment, the food emulsion has a viscosity of 50 to 200 mPa.s at a shear rate of 300s ¹ and at a temperature of 65°C, when measured with a viscosimeter, in particular MCR502 (Aaton Paar) equipped with cylinder cup CC27. This low viscosity for the food emulsion facilitates processability, including pumping, flowing and drying. In particular, if the viscosity is too high, this may block the pipes and also may prevent drying to form a powder.

The method further comprises a step of heat treating the food emulsion to obtain a heat-treated food emulsion. The heat treatment step may be performed by direct or indirect heat treatment. The heat treatment step may be performed with any heat treatment technologies suitable for food products. For example, the heat treatment step may be performed by pasteurization, sterilization, or ultra-high temperature (UHT) treatment. For example, the heat treatment step may be performed at a temperature of 80 to 145°C for different times depending on the temperature, at least 15 seconds for 80°C and minimum 5 seconds for UHT treatment. In some embodiment, the heat-treated food emulsion is liquid or semi liquid. In particular, the heat-treated food emulsion retains liquid or semi liquid consistency after the heat treatment step. In a preferred embodiment, the heat-treated food emulsion has a viscosity of 50 to 200 mPa.s at a shear rate of 300s ¹ and at a temperature of 65°C, when measured with a viscosimeter, in particular MCR502 (Aaton Paar) equipped with cylinder cup CC27. This low viscosity for the heat-treated food emulsion facilitates processability, including pumping, flowing and drying. In particular, if the viscosity is too high, this may block the pipes and also may prevent drying to form a powder.

The method further comprises the step of drying the heat-treated food emulsion to form a powdered food emulsion composition. Suitable drying technologies are well known in the art. The drying step may be performed by spray drying, vacuum band drying, roller drying or freeze drying. In some embodiments, the drying step is performed by spray drying. Suitable spray drying conditions are well known in the art.

In an embodiment, the obtained powdered food emulsion composition may be agglomerated to obtain a powdered food emulsion composition which is agglomerated. The agglomeration may be performed via fluidized bed agglomeration. The agglomeration step and the drying step may be simultaneous or sequential. In particular, the step of agglomeration may be performed during or after the drying step. In an embodiment, the process may comprise a step of evaporating the heat-treated food emulsion before the step of drying the heat-treated food emulsion. This allows the concentration of the heat-treated food emulsion to facilitate the consecutive drying step.

In an embodiment, the method does not comprise any step of extrusion and/or coagulation and/or gelation of the proteins, in particular lentil proteins. In addition, the method does not comprise any step of addition of any added coagulating agent and/or any non-proteic gelling agent. An added coagulating agent is an agent that is added to coagulate proteins, in particular lentil proteins. In an embodiment, the powdered food emulsion is free from any non-proteic gelling agent. For example, non-proteic gelling agent may be selected from the list consisting of gellan gum, xanthan gum, locust bean gum, carboxymethylcellulose, cellulose, agar, acacia gum, pectin, tara gum, alginate, carrageenan, and mixtures thereof.

Gelation and/or coagulation and/or extrusion of proteins, in particular lentil proteins are not desirable as they may negatively impact emulsion stabilization properties of proteins, in particular lentil proteins. Similarly, they are undesirable as they may also negatively impact cold reconstitution properties of the powdered food emulsion. In addition, when reconstituted in a liquid, it is desirable that the powdered food emulsion provides a liquid or semi-liquid food emulsion which is homogenous as it can be expected for creamer compositions or milk compositions. Hence, gelled and/or extruded products are undesirable.

Those skilled in the art will understand that they can freely combine all features of the present invention disclosed herein. Features described for the product of the present invention may be combined with the method of the present invention and vice versa. Further, features described for different embodiments of the present invention may be combined.

Furthermore, where known equivalents exist to specific features, such equivalents are incorporated as if specifically referred in this specification. Further advantages and features of the present invention are apparent from the figures and non-limiting examples.

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Fat blend PO:CNO-70:30

In the following examples, the fat blend PO:CNO-70:30 is a blend of 70% palm olein and 30% coconut oil.

Example 2: Powdered lentil-based creamer analogue according to the invention Two powdered lentil-based creamer analogues free from dairy ingredients were prepared:

-invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A prepared with lentil protein concentrate,

-invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue B prepared with lentil flour.

The invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A and B were prepared with the process as follows. The main difference is that invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A was prepared with lentil protein concentrate while the invention powdered lentilbased creamer analogue B was prepared with lentil flour.

Water was added in a double jacket heating tank and heated to 65°C. The buffer salts (Citric acid and Sodium bicarbonate) were then dissolved in water under stirring with an Ystral mixer. Once the different salts were dissolved, the non-hydrolyzed lentil protein concentrate (54.7wt.% lentil proteins) or non-hydrolyzed lentil flour (25.6wt.% lentil proteins) was added and dispersed in the buffer salt-containing water during 20 min under shear with the Ystral to obtain a lentil protein dispersion. Lecithin was dissolved in fat blend PO:CNO-70:30 until complete dissolution. Whitening agent (i.e. calcium carbonate) and glucose syrup were added to the lentil protein dispersion and mixed with the Ystral disperser at high shear for 5 min prior to fat phase addition (lecithin + PO:CNO) to obtain a food pre-emulsion under stirring. The food pre-emulsion was heated at 82°C for 40 seconds through heat exchangers and went then through the homogenizer APV-HTST at 230/50 bars to obtain a lentil-based creamer analogue (liquid). The lentil-based creamer analogue was spray-dried in a pilot-scale spraydryer and agglomerated in a fluidized bed to obtain a powdered lentil-based creamer analogue. After agglomeration, the powdered lentil-based creamer analogue was sieved to achieve a size distribution of 100 - 1000 micrometer.

The recipe of the invention lentil-based creamer analogues A and B obtained before spray drying is provided in table 1.

Table 1

The recipe of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A and B (i.e. after spray drying/agglomeration) is provided in table 2.

Table 2

Example 3: Powdered lentil-based creamer analogue with reduced protein content according to the invention

An invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Bl with reduced protein content was prepared with the process as follows. The main differences are that invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Bl was prepared with a lower content of lentil flour. The final lentil protein content in recipe Bl is then divided by 2 compared to recipe B.

Water was added in a double jacket heating tank and heated to 65°C. The buffer salts (Citric acid and Sodium bicarbonate) were then dissolved in water under stirring with an Ystral mixer. Once the different salts were dissolved, the non-hydrolyzed lentil protein concentrate (54.7wt.% lentil proteins) or non-hydrolyzed lentil flour (25.6wt.% lentil proteins) was added and dispersed in the buffer salt-containing water during 20 min under shear with the Ystral to obtain a lentil protein dispersion. Lecithin was dissolved in fat blend PO:CNO-70:30 until complete dissolution. Whitening agent (i.e. calcium carbonate) and glucose syrup were added to the lentil protein dispersion and mixed with the Ystral disperser at high shear for 5 min prior to fat phase addition (lecithin + PO:CNO) to obtain a food pre-emulsion under stirring. The food pre-emulsion was heated at 82°C for 40 seconds through heat exchangers and went then through the homogenizer APV-HTST at 230/50 bars to obtain a lentil-based creamer analogue (liquid). The lentil-based creamer analogue was spray-dried in a pilot-scale spray-dryer and agglomerated in a fluidized bed to obtain a powdered lentil-based creamer analogue. After agglomeration, the powdered lentil-based creamer analogue was sieved to achieve a size distribution of 100 - 1000 micrometer.

The recipe of the lentil-based creamers Bl before spray drying is provided in table 3.

Table 3

The recipe of the invention powdered lentil-based creamers Bl (i.e. after spray drying/agglomeration) is provided in table 4.

Table 4

Example 4: Reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue

A reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue free from dairy ingredients (herein after, reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue) was prepared as follows. Water was added in a double jacket heating tank and heated to 65°C. The buffer salts

(Citric acid and Sodium bicarbonate) were then dissolved in water under stirring with an Ystral mixer. Once the different salts were dissolved, the soy protein isolate (54.7wt.% soy proteins) was added and dispersed in the buffer salt-containing water during 20 min under shear with the Ystral to obtain a lentil protein dispersion. Lecithin was dissolved in fat blend PO:CNO- 70:30 until complete dissolution. Whitening agent (i.e. calcium carbonate) and glucose syrup were added to the soy protein dispersion and mixed with the Ystral disperser at high shear for 5 min prior to fat phase addition (lecithin + PO:CNO) to obtain a food pre-emulsion under stirring. The food pre-emulsion was heated at 82°C for 40 seconds through heat exchangers and went then through the homogenizer APV-HTST at 230/50 bars to obtain the soy-based creamer analogue (liquid). The soy-based creamer analogue was spray-dried in a pilot-scale spray-dryer and agglomerated in a fluidized bed to obtain a powdered soy-based creamer analogue. After agglomeration, the powdered soy-based creamer analogue was sieved to achieve a size distribution of 100 - 1000 micrometer.

The recipe of the reference soy-based creamer analogue obtained before spray drying is provided in table 5.

Table 5

The recipe of the reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue (i.e. after spray drying/agglomeration) is provided in table 6.

Table 6 Example 5: Reference powdered lentil-based creamer analogue prepared with lentil protein isolate

A reference powdered lentil-based creamer analogue free from dairy ingredients and based on lentil protein isolate (herein after, reference powdered lentil-based creamer analogue C) was prepared as follows.

Water was added in a double jacket heating tank and heated to 65°C. The buffer salts (Citric acid and Sodium bicarbonate) were then dissolved in water under stirring with an Ystral mixer. Once the different salts were dissolved, the non-hydrolyzed lentil protein isolate (86.4wt.% lentil proteins) was added and dispersed in the buffer salt-containing water during 20 min under shear with the Ystral to obtain a lentil protein dispersion. Lecithin was dissolved in fat blend PO:CNO-70:30 until complete dissolution. Whitening agent (i.e. calcium carbonate) and glucose syrup were added to the lentil protein dispersion and mixed with the Ystral disperser at high shearfor 5 min prior to fat phase addition (lecithin + PO:CNO) to obtain a food pre-emulsion under stirring. The food pre-emulsion was heated at 82°C for 40 seconds through heat exchangers and went then through the homogenizer APV-HTST at 230/50 bars to obtain the lentil-based creamer (liquid). The lentil-based creamer analogue was spray-dried in a pilot-scale spray-dryer and agglomerated in a fluidized bed to obtain a powdered lentilbased creamer analogue. After agglomeration, the powdered lentil-based creamer analogue was sieved to achieve a size distribution of 100 - 1000 micrometer.

The recipe of the reference lentil-based creamer analogue C obtained before spray drying is provided in table 7.

Table 7 The recipe of the reference powdered lentil-based creamer analogue C (i.e. after spray drying/agglomeration) is provided in table 8.

Table 8

Example 6: Reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue and reference powdered faba-based creamer analogue.

A reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue free from dairy ingredients was prepared with pea protein concentrate (hereinafter, reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue).

A reference powdered faba-based creamer analogue free from dairy ingredients was also prepared but with faba protein concentrate (hereinafter, reference powdered faba-based creamer analogue).

The reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue was prepared with the same process as the invention powdered lentil-based creameranalogue A of example 2 but the lentil protein concentrate was replaced by pea protein concentrate (57.4% pea proteins).

The reference powdered faba-based creamer analogue was prepared with the same process as the invention powdered lentil-based creameranalogue A of example 2 but the lentil protein concentrate was replaced by faba protein concentrate (63.7% faba proteins).

The recipe of the reference pea-based creamer analogue obtained before spray drying and the recipe of the reference faba-based creamer analogue obtained before spray drying are provided in table 9.

Table 9

The recipes of the reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue (i.e. after spray drying/agglomeration) and reference powdered faba-based creamer analogue (i.e. after spray drying/agglomeration) are provided in table 10.

Table 10

Example 7: Properties of plant-based creamer analogue emulsions before spray drying

The properties of the invention lentil-based creamer analogues A and B of example 2 obtained before spray drying, the reference soy-based creamer analogue of example 4 obtained before spray drying and the reference powdered lentil-based creamer analogue C of example 5 before spray drying were assessed.

All the measures in example 7 were performed 1 week after production of the different samples.

• Microscopy

Method:

The Zeiss Axioplan optical microscope was used to observe the microstructure of the emulsions. Micrographs were taken with the 20x and 40x objectives using the ProgRes camera and ProgRes CapturePro software.

Results:

The results are shown in figure 1.

It can be observed that the creamer analogue emulsions with lentil protein concentrate and lentil flour show smaller fat droplet size than creamer analogue emulsions with soy protein isolate and lentil protein isolate. This suggests that creamer analogue emulsions with lentil protein concentrate and flour have enhanced stability compared to creamer analogue emulsions with soy protein isolate or lentil protein isolate. Regarding the type of lentil ingredient, the lentil protein concentrate and the lentil flour show similar performance in creamer analogue emulsions while the lentil protein isolate shows lower performance. In particular, the creamer analogue emulsions with lentil protein concentrate and flour have similar microstructure while creamer analogue emulsions with lentil protein isolate exhibit different microstructure with higherfat droplet size. Lentil protein isolate based creamer shows larger droplet size which can be detrimental during processing and industrialization of the product. Indeed, a larger droplet size will accelerate destabilization phenomenon, such as creaming phenomenon, that can occur during the process or during storage prior to heat treatment and drying. This can lead to product inhomogeneity and result in unpleasant and undesired sensory properties.

• Particle size distribution

Method:

The particle size distribution of different creamer analogues obtained before spray drying was measured with a Malvern Mastersizer 3000 with the Hydro MV wet dispersion unit. Spherical particles were assumed, and the refractive indices used for the fat blend P:C-70:30 and water phase were 1.465 and 1.33, respectively. A sample was added to the wet dispersion unit until a laser obscuration of 4-10% was reached. The dispersion was performed with a stirrer speed of 1990 rpm and the average of three measurements is collected.

Results:

The results are shown in figure 2.

The particle size distribution data confirm the microscopy results. In particular, creamer analogue emulsions with lentil proteins have smaller fat droplet size than with soy proteins. Moreover, creamer analogue emulsions with minimally refined ingredients, i.e. lentil protein concentrate or flour, have smaller fat droplet size than creamer analogue emulsions with lentil protein isolate. On the other hand, no significant differences are observed between the creamer analogue emulsions with lentil protein concentrate and lentil flour.

Example 8: Properties of powdered plant-based creamer analogues

In example 8, investigations on reconstitution/wetting properties were performed on powdered plant-based creamer analogues prepared with different protein sources, i.e. the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A of example 2, the reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue of example 4. All the measures in example 8 were performed 1 week after production of the different samples.

• Free fat

The free fat (or surface fat) content may have an impact on the reconstitution and wetting properties of powdered emulsions. In particular, a high ratio of free fat is may negatively impact the reconstitution time and wetting time. Hence, the free fat content of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A of example 2 and the reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue of example 4 were measured to evaluate the reconstitution properties of the different powdered creamer analogues.

Method:

Free fat content was performed with solvent extraction by mixing in a 100-mL bottle 2.00 g powder with 40 mL n-heptane at room temperature while mildly shaking for 10 minutes (Heidolph Reax2 electric mixer, 125 rpm). This was followed by the gravimetric determination of the extracted fat present in an aliquot of the organic phase. In particular, the sample was centrifuged 5 minutes at 2000 rpm. The supernatant was collected and filtered through an Acrodisc 0.45pm PTFE, 33mm diameter. 25-mL sample of clear supernatant was transferred in pre-weight aluminum dish 70mm diameter. The solvent of the clear supernatant in the aluminum dish was first evaporated slowly using a heating plate, at a temperature between 95-120°C (preferably 110°C). After complete evaporation of solvent, the sample in the aluminum dish was kept on the heating plate for maximum 15 minutes at a temperature between 95-120°C (preferably 110°C). The aluminum dish with the evaporated sample was then transferred in a vacuum oven and let dry at 110°C at 300-500mbars for 30 minutes. After vacuum drying, the dish was transferred in a desiccator and let cool for lh minimum. The mass of the dish with residue is later measured at 25°C and free fat in gram per 100 grams of sample is calculated from the different measured masses and portion sizes.

Results:

The results are shown in table 11.

It can be observed that the powdered lentil-based creamer analogues prepared with lentil protein concentrate (i.e. respectively, invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A and B) have less free fat than the reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue. This suggest that lentil proteins, in particular in form of minimally refined ingredient such as flour or concentrate, improve the reconstitution properties of powdered creamer analogues compared to soy protein isolate.

• Wetting time

The measurement of the wetting time allows to characterize the reconstitution properties of powdered emulsions. In particular, the higher the wetting time is, the lower the reconstitution time is. Hence, the wetting time of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A of example 2 and the reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue of example 4 were measured to evaluate the reconstitution properties of the different powdered creamer analogues.

Method:

To measure the wetting time, 10 g of powder were added onto 200 mL of 4 °C water under no stirring, and the time until complete sinking of the powder into water was recorded visually by the operator. This time until complete sinking of the powder into water corresponds to the wetting time.

Results:

The results are shown in Table 11.

It can be observed that the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A has significantly shorter wetting time than the reference soy-based powdered creamer. As surface fat data, these data suggest that lentil proteins enhance the reconstitution properties of powdered creamer.

• Reconstitution kinetics in cold water

To assess their cold reconstitution properties, reconstitution kinetics in cold waterwas assessed for the following powdered creamer analogues: the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2, the reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue of example 4, a reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue S2 prepared with coconut oil. In particular, the creamer analogue S2 is prepared with the same process and the same recipe as the powdered soy-based creamer analogue of example 4. The only difference is that the fat blend PO:CNO-70:30 of the creamer analogue of example 4 is replaced by 100% coconut oil in the creamer analogue S2. Coconut oil in creamer analogue S2 is added in the same content as the fat blend PO:CNO-70:30 in creamer analogue of example 4.

Method:

Reconstitution kinetic of different powdered creamer analogues was measured by conductivity (Metrohm AG, Switzerland). For this, 10 g of powdered creamer analogues were poured into 400 mL of 4°C milli-Q water with a bottom magnetic stirrer at 500 rpm and an overhead stirrer at 100 rpm. The time t₉₀ to reach 90% of the final conductivity was used to characterize the reconstitution kinetics.

In parallel, the reconstitution of the powdered creamer analogues was observed visually over time.

Results:

The results are shown in figures 3, 4 and table 11.

It can be observed that the powdered lentil-based creamer analogues have faster reconstitution rate than the powdered soy-based creamer analogues.

It can be observed that the powdered lentil-based creamer analogue prepared with lentil protein concentrate (i.e. invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A) have the lowest tgo, and so lowest reconstitution time. In particular, it has lower tgothan the reference soy-based lentil-based creamer analogue. This suggests that lentil protein concentrate improves the reconstitution properties, including cold reconstitution properties of powdered creamer analogue, compared to soy protein isolate.

Table 11

Example 9: Coffee stability properties of powdered lentil-based creamer analogues

To assess the stability of the powdered lentil-based creamer analogues, stability trials in coffee in cold conditions were performed on the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A and B of example 2. The stability test in cold coffee and in presence of hard water (calcium rich, 400 ppm) allow to assess the performance and the stability of the creamer under realistic applications conditions. A stable powdered creamer should not show flocculation during 10 minutes under these conditions.

All the measures in example 9 were performed 1 week after production of the different samples.

Method:

The resistance of the powdered creamer analogues to water hardness in coffee was tested as follow. Hard water was prepared with CaCI2 and MgCI2 6H2O to have a final water hardness of 400 ppm of Ca2+. This water was then cooled down to 4°C in a fridge. In beakers, 1 g of soluble coffee and 4.5 g of the tested creamer analogues were weighed and mixed to obtain a homogeneous powder. 100 mL of 400 ppm water at 4°C was added to it and the mixture is stirred with a spoon until the coffee and the creamer was dissolved. Pictures were taken just after mixing and after 10 minutes to see if the creamer flocculates.

Results:

The results are shown in figure 5.

It can be observed that the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A and B have good stability in coffee. No flocculation is observed 10 minutes after contacting the creamer with coffee. This is valid when the creamer is prepared with lentil protein concentrate or lentil flour. This suggests that powdered creamer based on lentil proteins have not only good reconstitution properties but also good coffee stability properties, in particular good stability properties in hard water and acidic conditions (coffee being acidic).

Example 10: Emulsion properties of creamer analogue prepared with lentil protein concentrate versus pea protein concentrate

A series of trials were performed to assess the impact of the use of lentil protein concentrate versus another type of pulse protein concentrate, in particular pea protein concentrate on the properties of creamer analogue emulsions before spray drying and after spray drying/agglomeration.

All the measures in example 10 were performed 1 week after production of the different samples.

Properties before spray drying:

The properties of the invention lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2 and the reference pea-based creamer analogue of example 6 obtained before spray drying were assessed.

• Microscopy

Method: Microscopy analysis of invention lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2 and the reference pea-based creamer analogue of example 6 were performed according to the microscopy method provided in example 7.

Results:

The results are shown in figure 6.

It can be observed that the creamer analogue emulsions prepared with lentil protein concentrate (i.e. invention lentil-based creamer analogue A) have similar fat droplet size than the creamer analogue emulsions prepared with pea protein concentrate (i.e. reference peabased analogue creamer).

Properties after spray drying:

• Cold stability in coffee and hard water conditions

Stability trials in coffee in cold conditions were performed on the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2 and the reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue of example 6. The stability test in cold coffee and in presence of hard water (calcium rich, 400 ppm) allow to assess the performance and the stability of the creamer analogues under realistic applications conditions. A stable powdered creamer analogue should not show flocculation during 10 minutes under these conditions.

Method:

The stability in coffee was assessed according to the method provided in example 9.

Results:

The results are shown in figure 7.

It can be observed that the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A has good stability in coffee. No flocculation is observed 10 minutes after contacting the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A with coffee. Conversely, it can be observed that the reference pea-based creamer analogue has limited stability in coffee. In particular, flocculation can be observed 10 minutes after contacting the reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue with coffee. This suggests that powdered creamer analogues prepared with lentil protein concentrate have good coffee stability properties while powdered creamer analogues prepared with pea protein concentrate have unsatisfactory coffee stability properties.

Example 11: properties of powdered plant-based creamer analogues prepared with alternative process

Preparation of powdered plant-based creamer analogues

The invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2, the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Bl of example 3, and the reference soy-based creamer analogue of example 4 were prepared with the same recipe but with an alternative process than the one provided in respectively examples 2, 3 and 4.

The abovementioned powdered plant-based creamer analogues will be respectively called hereinafter:

- invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A. bis,

- invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Bl. bis,

- reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue S.bis.

In particular, said powdered plant-based creamer analogues were prepared with the following alternative process:

Water was added in a double jacket heating tank and heated to 65°C. The buffer salts (Citric acid and Sodium bicarbonate) were then dissolved in water under stirring with a Scanima. Once the different salts were dissolved, the non-hydrolyzed lentil protein concentrate ((54.7wt.% lentil proteins) was added and dispersed in the buffer salt-containing water during 20 min under shear with the Scanima to obtain a lentil protein dispersion. The lecithin, fat blend + PO:CNO, calcium carbonate and glucose syrup were added to the lentil protein dispersion and mixed with the Scanima at high shear for 5 min to obtain a food preemulsion. The food pre-emulsion was heated at 78°C for 40 seconds through heat exchangers and went then through the homogenizer Bran-Luebbe SPX Series at 230/50 bars to form a lentil-based creamer analogue. Finally, the lentil-based creamer analogue was dried with a spray dryer Egron 1 to obtain powdered lentil-based creamer analogue. All the measures in example 11 were performed 1 week after production of the different samples, except for wetting time. The measurement of wetting time after 1 year were only performed forthe invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A. bis and the reference powdered soy-based creamer analogue S.bis.

Properties before spray drying:

The properties of the invention lentil-based creamer analogue A. bis and the reference soy-based creamer analogue S.bis obtained before spray drying were assessed.

Method:

Microscopy analysis of invention lentil-based creamer analogue A. bis and the reference soy-based creamer analogue S.bis were performed according to the microscopy method provided in example 7.

Results:

The results are shown in figure 8.

As observed in previous examples, it can be observed that the creamer analogue emulsion with lentil protein concentrate has discrete fat droplets and shows smaller fat droplet size than creamer analogue emulsion with soy protein isolate. This suggests that creamer analogue emulsion with lentil protein concentrate have enhanced stability compared to creamer analogue emulsion with soy protein isolate.

Properties after spray drying:

Method:

The free fat content, wetting time and reconstitution time tgo of the invention powdered lentilbased creamer analogue A. bis, the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Bl. bis and the reference soy-based creamer analogue S.bis were measured according to the methods provided in example 8.

The coffee stability of the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A. bis, the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Bl. bis and the reference soy-based creamer analogue S.bis was also assess according to the method of example 9.

Results: The results on free fat content, wetting time and reconstitution time t₉o are shown in table 12.

It can be observed that the lowest free fat content, wetting time and reconstitution time tgo were obtained for the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A. bis, showing this sample has the best wetting and reconstitution properties.

The results on coffee stability are shown in figure 9. It can be seen that all creamer analogues A have good stability in coffee. No flocculation is observed 10 minutes after contacting the different creamer analogues with coffee.

In parallel, it can be observed that the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A. bis and Bl. bis have lower wetting time, and so improved wettability compared to the reference soy-based creamer analogue S.bis. In addition, it can be further highlighted that the powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Bl. bis based on lentil flour preserves good reconstitution/wetting properties despite it has lower lentil protein content than the other samples (lentil protein content divided by two).

Table 12

Example 12: Microstructure of powdered creamer analogue Microstructure, including fat droplet size of the powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A. bis and Bl. bis was assessed after reconstitution in water.

All the measures in example 12 were performed 1 week after production of the different samples.

Method :

10 g of powdered creamer analogues were poured into 400 mL of 21°C (or 4°C for some tests) milli-Q water with a bottom magnetic stirrer at 500 rpm and an overhead stirrer at 100 rpm for 5 minutes.

The obtained reconstituted creamer analogues were then analyzed by microscopy according to the microscopy method provided in example 7.

Results :

It can be observed that the microstructure of the emulsions, including discrete fat droplets and small droplet size, was maintained even after drying and reconstitution.

Example 13: Sensory evaluation of powdered plant-based creamer analogues

The sensory evaluation of example 13 was performed 1 week after production of the different samples.

Method:

The invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A and B of example 2, the reference powdered pea-based creamer analogue of example 7 and the reference powdered faba-based creamer analogue of example 7 were prepared.

9 g of powdered creamer analogue (with the same protein and oil content) were added to 200 mL of water at 85 °C and tasted by panellists after letting the liquid cool down to room temperature.

The panellists were trained to assess the sensory attributes of creamer analogues. The intensity of the different sensory attributes was characterized by providing a score from 0 (sensory attribute not perceived) to 5 (sensory attribute perceived with very high intensity). Results:

The results are shown in figure 11. The invention lentil-based creamer analogue A delivered higher mouthcoating and significantly lower bitterness, flavor and odor intensity (i.e. intensity unpleasant flavor/off-flavor and unpleasant odor/off-odor) compared to the reference pea or faba-based creamer analogues. In particular, the pea-based and faba-based creamer analogues exhibit strong unpleasant off-flavor and odor. These results show that lentil proteins can deliver more neutral taste, better sensory properties and more pleasant taste compared to faba or pea proteins.

Additionally, the invention lentil-based creamer analogue B show similar sensory properties as creamer analogue A (data not shown in Figure 11).

Based on the different examples, it can be observed that lentil proteins allow to deliver good sensory properties (more neutral/pleasant taste) while delivering good emulsion/reconstitution properties in creamer analogue applications.

Example 14: Effect of the type of fat ingredient on cold reconstitution properties of powdered lentil-based creamer analogues

All the measures of example 14 were performed 1 week after production of the different samples.

• Preparation of powdered lentil-based creamer analogues

Different powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A1-A5 according to the invention were prepared with a process alternative to the one of the previous examples. The alternative process is the same as the process provided in example 11.

Water was added in a tank and heated to 65°C. The buffer salts (Citric acid and Sodium bicarbonate) were then dissolved in water under stirring with a Scanima. Once the different salts were dissolved, the non-hydrolyzed lentil protein concentrate ((54.7wt.% lentil proteins) was added and dispersed in the buffer salt-containing water during 20 min under shear with the Scanima to obtain a lentil protein dispersion. The lecithin, fat blend P:C, calcium carbonate and glucose syrup were added to the lentil protein dispersion and mixed with the Scanima at high shear for 5 min to obtain a food pre-emulsion. The food pre-emulsion was heated at 78°C for 40 seconds through heat exchangers and went then through the homogenizer Bran- Luebbe SPX Series at 230/50 bars to form a lentil-based creamer analogue. Finally, the lentil- based creamer analogue was dried with a spray dryer Egron 1 to obtain powdered lentil-based creamer analogue.

The invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue Al is identical to the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A. bis of example 11. The invention powdered lentilbased creamer analogues A2-A5 have the same recipe as the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogue A of example 2 but the fat blend PO:CNO -70:30 was replaced by other fat ingredients. These other fat ingredients were provided at the same content of the fat blend PO:CNO -70:30 to achieve the same final fat content in the different powdered lentil-based creamer analogues.

Table 13 provides the type of fat ingredient used in powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A1-A5.

Table 13

• Properties of powdered lentil-based creamer analogues: free fat and reconstitution kinetics.

Method

The free fat content and the reconstitution kinetics, including the time tgo, were measured on the invention powdered lentil-based creamer analogues A1-A5 of present example 10 according to the methods provided in example 6. Results

The results are shown in table 14 below.

Table 14

It can be observed that whatever the fat ingredient, the different powdered lentilbased creamer analogues A1-A6 have acceptable reconstitution properties. It can be noted that the powdered lentil-based creamer Al has the lowest free fat content and has a tgo below 10 seconds while the powdered lentil-based creamer A2 has the lowest tgo.

As mentioned above, creamer analogues A1-A6 showed positive results in terms of reconstitution. In addition to this, they also exhibited acceptable sensory properties. Nevertheless, the powdered lentil-based creamer analogues Al appeared as the most interesting and balanced formulation. Indeed, it showed at the same time very good reconstitution properties while maintaining very good sensory properties over shelf life, in particular limited off-notes.

Although the invention has been described by way of example, it should be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A powdered food emulsion composition, which comprises at least one fat ingredient and a lentil protein ingredient, wherein the lentil protein ingredient is selected from the list consisting of lentil protein concentrate, lentil flour or a mixture thereof, and wherein the lentil proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed.

2. The powdered food emulsion composition according to claim 1, wherein the proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed.

3. The powdered food emulsion composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the proteins of the powdered food emulsion composition are not hydrolysed.

4. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lentil protein ingredient is not hydrolysed.

5. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the proteins of the lentil protein ingredient consist only of lentil proteins.

6. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which comprises at least 0.5wt% lentil proteins by dry weight, preferably 0.5 to 30wt.% lentil proteins by dry weight.

7. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least 80% of the total protein of the powdered food emulsion composition consist of lentil proteins.

8. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one the preceding claims, wherein the pH of the powdered food emulsion composition is greater than 6.

9. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fat of the fat ingredient comprises vegetable fat and/or milk fat.

10. The powdered food emulsion composition according to claims 1 to 8, wherein the fat of the fat ingredient consists only of vegetable fat.

11. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fat ingredient is a combination of coconut oil and non-coconut vegetable oil and/or fraction thereof, and wherein the ratio of coconut oil to non-coconut vegetable oil and/or fraction thereof is of 3:7 to 6:4.

12. The powdered food emulsion composition according to claim 11, wherein non-coconut vegetable oil and/or fraction thereof may be selected from the list consisting of rapeseed oil, canola oil, sunflower seed oil, high oleic sunflower seed oil, safflower seed oil, cotton seed oil, olive oil, algal oil, palm oil, palm olein, medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil, soybean oil, high oleic soybean oil, oil from nuts, corn oil or a combination thereof.

13. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which further comprises an added emulsifier.

14. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which further comprises added carbohydrate ingredient.

15. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which is selected from the list consisting of powdered milk composition, powdered creamer composition or a combination thereof.

16. The powdered food emulsion composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which is free from milk ingredients and/or soy.

17. A method for preparing a powdered food emulsion composition, the method comprises the steps of: dispersing at least one lentil protein ingredient in an aqueous liquid to form a lentil protein dispersion, wherein the lentil protein ingredient is selected from the list consisting of lentil protein concentrate, lentil flour or a mixture thereof, and wherein the lentil proteins of the lentil protein ingredient are not hydrolysed, adding a fat ingredient, and optionally added emulsifier and/or added carbohydrate ingredient, in the lentil protein dispersion to form a food pre-emulsion, - homogenizing the food pre-emulsion to obtain a food emulsion, heat treating the food emulsion to obtain a heat-treated food emulsion, drying the heat-treated food emulsion to form a powdered food emulsion composition.