Do you recognize the real cheese? Scientists claim that their vegan gouda, made from peas, melts and steeps just like the dairy version

From insect bolognese to plant-based salmon, scientists have been working hard to create vegan alternatives to our favorite foods.

Now the ‘holy grail’ of vegan food has been formulated: a plant-based cheese that melts and steeps just like the real thing.

The cheese is the brainchild of scientists at the University of Guelph in Ontario, who tested multiple types of plant proteins, as well as a range of alternative ‘cheese scaffolds’.

Their final product contains a mixture of coconut oil, sunflower oil and pea protein.

While this may not sound like a particularly tasty combination, the researchers say their concoction mimics the “creamy, cheesy” properties of real dairy.

“Ultimately, we want to improve nutrition, increase protein content and reduce saturated fat content of cheese alternatives,” says study author Alejandro Marangoni.

“But it’s very difficult to keep all the functionality, including melting and stretching the ‘cheese’.”

Can you tell if the photos show real cheeses or the vegan impostor? Scroll down for the answers.

Whether it’s for health reasons or to reduce your carbon footprint, many Brits are trying to find ways to reduce the amount of meat and dairy they consume.

Whether it’s for health reasons or to reduce your carbon footprint, many Brits are trying to find ways to reduce the amount of meat and dairy they consume.

In fact, a recent study found that the number of vegans in Britain will increase by 1.1 million between 2023 and 2024.

Although many plant-based alternatives look impressively similar to the real thing, vegan cheese remains a nightmare for many dieters.

“If you wanted to eat only plant-based products, you would end up eating a lot of beans and tofu, which can get a bit boring after a while,” says Mr Marangoni.

‘Now consumers expect essentially the same animal product, but with plant-based ingredients, which is very difficult.’

To make the cheese, the researchers tested three vegetable proteins – lentils, broad beans and peas – and different oils.

‘The behavior of milk proteins and meat proteins is fairly well known, but knowledge about the functionality of vegetable proteins is lacking,’ says Marangoni.

‘There is also a wide variety of different plant proteins, all of which are very different from each other.’

Although many plant-based alternatives look impressively similar to the real thing, vegan cheese remains a nightmare for many dieters.

Their tests showed that increasing the amount of coconut oil increased the hardness of the cheese.

However, because of the unique protein-fat interactions, they found that a blend of 25 percent coconut oil, 75 percent sunflower oil and pea protein was the winning combination — resulting in better melt and stretchability than 100 percent coconut versions. oil.

The study comes shortly after researchers warned that many vegan cheeses have ‘little nutritional value’ and contain far more bad fats than real cheese.

And that’s because manufacturers try too hard to make vegan cheese look, taste and even melt like real cheese, according to nutritionist Richard Hoffman.

Alternatives are often made with vegetable oils that are high in saturated fat and bad cholesterol and contain no vitamins or minerals.

Eating too much can increase the risk of heart disease and other health problems such as weak bones, said Hertfordshire University’s Mr Hoffman.

Have you spotted the real cheese?

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REAL CHEESE

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VEGAN CHEESE

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REAL CHEESE