Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation as a Tool for Creating Texture in Plant-Based “Clean-Label” Cheeses

The growing demand for clean-label plant-based cheese alternatives underscores the need for products with desirable properties. A key technological challenge is replicating the firmness of traditional cheese without synthetic additives. This study explores lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation as a natural texturizing method for clean-label plant-based cheeses. We investigated the link between LAB metabolic traits and the firmness of three substrates: cashew, soybean, and sunflower seed. A strong correlation (r ≈ −0.88) was found between final pH and firmness in cashew paste, where strains achieving a pH of ~4.0–4.5 (near the protein isoelectric point) produced the firmest gels (up to 3.35 N). Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 729/23 and Lacticaseibacillus helveticus NK-1 were most effective. Soybean paste firmness increased moderately (to 1.93 N), while sunflower seed paste showed no significant improvement (≤1.14 N) despite active acidification, indicating substrate-specific limitations. This study, supported by a comprehensive analysis of the literature on firmness measurement in plant-based cheeses, demonstrates the potential of targeted selection of natural starter cultures to create clean-label products with minimal ingredients.