The next generation of dairy-free cheese may be made from rice.

Cheese is often the final "hard thing" to give up. Both vegans and others who wish to stay away from dairy because it bothers them miss it. The issue of allergies comes next. A lot of non-dairy cheeses contain gluten-based ingredients, and many rely on nuts. The "safe" options might quickly disappear if you have a gluten, dairy, or nut allergy.

For this reason, rice is being seriously considered as a hypoallergenic substitute for cheese. In the United States, people are already familiar with rice, and it is not frequently allergic. Surprisingly, the most promising protein sources come from both the leftovers from rice processing and the entire grains you would prepare at home.

Why does rice appear in cheese?

When attempting to mimic the actions of dairy, rice's proteins can exhibit beneficial behaviours. In order for cheese to stay together, it must have structure, but it also needs to melt and soften as consumers would anticipate. It's challenging to achieve both texture and meltability in plant-based cheese.

A study examining the performance of various rice proteins in plant-based cheesemaking was published by Mahfuzur Rahman, an assistant professor of food science at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and his graduate student Ruslan Mehadi Galib.

The scientists discovered that various portions of the same grain can contribute varying intensities to the finished product when they examined proteins isolated from a single rice variety.

From preparing dinner to grinding leftovers

With a record 1.43 million acres harvested in 2024—nearly half of the country's entire rice production—Arkansas is the top producer in the US.

According to the study, the United States produced an anticipated 14.3 million tonnes of rice bran and 24.8 million tonnes of broken kernels annually in 2024, providing a potential production of roughly 3.3 million tonnes of protein for the market for plant-based protein.

Because bran and cracked kernels are frequently handled as byproducts, such figures are significant. Brown rice is produced during the dehulling process of rice milling. In addition to producing rice bran and broken kernels, additional milling transforms brown rice into white rice.

About 15% of rice bran is protein, 15% is fibre, and 50% is carbs. Broken kernels contain roughly 7% protein, 75% carbs, and 1% fibre. They can be utilised in pet food and beer production.

What the scientists examined

When people discuss rice protein in food goods, the researchers want to know what they truly mean. They looked at proteins from various grain portions rather than treating it as a single item.

Rahman, a member of the University of Arkansas' Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, and Life Sciences, stated, "We have three different types of protein in a single rice grain—from brown rice, white rice, and bran."

"That is the essential comprehension that we aimed to

What does it mean to say "rice protein"? Is the protein found in brown rice? Bran protein? Broken kernel protein?”

The behaviour of each rice protein

The researchers created three plant-based cheeses using a conventional recipe with organic coconut oil and maize starch to observe how the proteins functioned in a real dish. They also carefully examined the composition of the proteins.

The four main subunits of rice proteins are albumin, globulin, glutelin, and prolamin, with glutelin making up the majority. The three sources' protein breakdowns differed from one another. While brown rice and kernel protein had more glutelin, rice bran had the most albumin.

In an area where many plant-based cheeses fall short on protein, the cheeses prepared from the rice leftovers had about 12% protein. When made into cheese, the various rice sources also exhibited distinct behaviours.

In addition to having a high glutelin content, moderate solubility, emulsifying, and foaming qualities, broken-kernel protein created a smoother texture and demonstrated improved oil separation and melting capabilities.

Brown rice protein had the best solubility, emulsifying activity, and emulsion stability. It also contained more essential amino acids and released more free amino acids after simulated digestion.

In the cheese prototypes, rice bran protein's strong water-holding and foaming properties enhanced texture and reduced oil separation, despite its lower solubility and noticeably increased surface hydrophobicity.

The future of cheese made from rice

Utilising rice milling byproducts for protein extraction offers a "significant opportunity to expand the U.S.-based rice protein market while promoting a sustainable circular economy." Currently, businesses import and distribute rice protein inside the U.S. market.

Additionally, since proteins that emulsify and froth well might occasionally replace eggs and oils in recipes, the discovery suggests larger food applications. While Rahman has been developing a non-chemical technique employing ultrasonic to increase nutritional value, the researchers extracted the rice proteins using hexane.

It is anticipated that future research on rice protein for alternative cheesemaking would concentrate on refining the cheese formulations and examining sensory attributes, consumer acceptability, and shelf-life stability.

According to Rahman, "current research is in progress to tackle these issues, facilitating the transition from laboratory development to practical use."