15B-2 |
Texture and melt characteristics of low-fat Mozzarella cheeses made using pre-acidified milk |
N. P. SHAH and R. K. Bhaskaracharya. School of Life Sciences & Technology, Victoria Univ., PO Box 14428, Melbourne City Mail Centre, Melbourne, VIC, 8001, Australia When the fat content of the Mozzarella cheeses is reduced, the moisture retention also decreases giving a low yield and poor melt and stretch characteristics. The cheeses develop rubbery texture, and increased hardness. Excess of calcium has been linked with excessive curd firmness. Cheeses made with pre-acidified milk are expected to have improved textural and functional properties. The objective was to study the impact of pre-acidification on functional characteristics of low fat Mozzarella cheeses. Mozzarella cheeses (containing ~6% fat) were made from milk pre-acidified with acetic acid to pH 6.3 (PAA6.3), 6.1 (PAA6.1), 5.9 (PAA5.9) or citric acid to pH 6.3 (PAC6.3), 6.1 (PAC6.1), and 5.9 (PAC5.9). Control cheeses were made without pre-acidification. The yield and composition of cheeses were determined and texture characteristics including hardness, cohesiveness and springiness and meltability and pizza-bake characteristics were analysed. The yield of cheeses (calculated per 100 kg milk) was highest for the control cheese. The yield of cheeses pre-acidified with citric acid was better than those with acetic acid. The control cheeses had the lowest protein content, whereas the PAC6.3 cheeses the highest. The PAC6.3 cheeses had the lowest moisture content, lowest fat on dry weight content, highest hardness and cohesiveness, springiness values among the pre-acidified cheeses. The melt distance was greatest for PAC6.1 cheeses and least for PAA5.9 cheeses. PAC6.1 cheeses showed excellent melt and shred fusion on the pizza compared to the other cheeses. Overall the cheeses made using milk pre-acidified with citric acid at pH 6.1 showed the best texture and melt characteristics and gave a good yield. Therefore, it is possible to make cheeses with pre-acidified milk containing 6% fat with improved functional characteristics. This is expected to improve the image of Mozzarella cheese pizza and has significance for pizza industry.
Session 15B, Dairy Foods: Chemistry, microbiology and sensory analysis of various cheeses
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