Imitation cheese is made using milk products or vegetable protein and fat, and can be classified broadly as filled cheese, made using the same processes as natural cheese from liquid milk, and analog cheese, made from the heating and dissolution of powder and fat. Imitation cheese was developed as a substitute for more expensive natural cheeses in the 1970s, but in recent years, plant-derived analog cheese has been developed for allergy elimination diets or veganism［Please check that this conveys your intended meaning.］, and new markets are already emerging in other countries. This review focuses on analog cheese and describes differences in the production methods and characteristics of each type. The future of analog cheese in Japan is also discussed.
