Study of the production and use of tofu cheese in vegetarian nutrition

Abstract

Vegetarianism, i.e. refusal of animal products, has become one of the popular types of nutrition lately. Animal products contain vitamins, micro- and macroelements necessary for maintaining the normal functioning of the human body. Vegetarians do not receive them due to the refusal to consume "animal" products. In particular, supporters of this type of nutrition suffer from the so-called "protein starvation". Nevertheless, the increase in demand for plant foods poses the challenge for researchers to create new products with increased nutritional value, as well as to expand their range on the market. Literature data on the chemical composition of some plant crops have been studied. The use of soybeans as the main raw material has been justified, since among other legumes they have the maximum protein yield and are most often used to isolate vegetable protein. The article proposes an improved recipe for tofu cheese, which will increase the range of vegetable cheese on the market for vegetarians, as well as those fasting and people with lactose intolerance. The coagulation process of the latter to obtain a protein product has been studied. The conditions of thermal acid coagulation have been analyzed using citric, acetic and lactic acids as an example to obtain cheese with positive organoleptic properties. The chemical composition of soybeans has been studied for the content of mass fraction of moisture, protein, fat, minerals and iron. A recipe for canned vegetables with tofu has been proposed, which is characterized by an increased content of calcium, iron and fiber. The article demonstrates a possibility of increasing the range of vegetarian products on the market and creating a functional food product.