Characteristics of reduced fat Cheddar cheese made from ultrafiltered milk with an exopolysaccharide-producing culture

Abstract

In a previous study, ultrafiltration (UF) at 1.2x reduced residual chymosin activity and bitterness in exopolysaccharide (EPS)-positive reduced fat Cheddar cheese. The objective of this research was to study the effect of this level of concentration on the textural and functional characteristics of the reduced fat cheese. Ultrafiltration (1.2x) did not affect the hardness, cohesiveness, adhesiveness, chewiness, and gumminess of EPS-positive cheese. The 6-month old UF cheeses were springier than non-UF cheeses. However, the springiness of the EPS-positive cheese made from UF milk was much lower than that of the EPS-negative cheeses. Texture of the EPS-negative cheese was more affected by UF than that of the EPS-positive cheese. Differences were seen in the extent of flow between UF and non-UF cheeses at 1 and 3-months but not after 6 months ripening. Ultrafiltration increased the elastic modulus in the 6-month old EPS-positive cheeses. Higher body and texture scores were given to EPS-positive cheeses than the EPS-negative ones. Sensory panelists found the body of the UF and non-UF cheeses to be similar.