Chemical characteristics of low-fat wheyless cream cheese ...

Khadijeh Poursharif et al Euro. J. Exp. Bio., 2012, 2 (3):690-694
______________________________________________________________________________
The terms and definitions used to describe fat replacers vary among authors and are often confusing and
misunderstood. Fat replacers chemically resemble to fats, proteins, or carbohydrates and are generally categorized
into two groups: fat substitutes and fat mimetics. Fat substitutes are macromolecules that physically and chemically
resemble to triglycerides(conventional fats and oils) and ,often, referred to as lipid- or fat-based fat replacers. Fat
substitutes are either chemically synthesized or derived from conventional fats and oils by enzymatic modification.
Fat mimetics are substances that imitate organoleptic or physical properties of triglycerides. Fat mimetics, often
called protein- or carbohydrate- based fat replacers, are common food constituents, e.g., starch and cellulose, but
may be chemically or physically modified to mimic the function of fat. Fat mimetics generally adsorb a substantial
amount of water [3].
In recent years, many studies related to low fat Mozzarella or Cheddar cheeses have been published [4-8]. However,
other cheeses with higher levels of consumption, such as low fat soft cheeses, have received much less attention.
Whey produced from cheese making (including cream cheese), as a by- product, limits productivity. Whey has few
uses and results in the loss of valuable proteins for the cheese product. The production of whey can also create
additional costs for waste treatment, even though whey contains food grade ingredients which have been separated
from milk. The inability of whey proteins to be retained in cheese is an important factor contributing to a lake of
efficiency in the production of cheese, including reduction in overall yield and increased costs [9].Although whey
has sometimes been further processed to obtain food ingredients, the acid whey generated cream cheese product
cannot normally be utilized in this manner. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a process for making cream
cheese in which whey is retained in the final product [10].
Wheyless cream cheese is a soft cheese containing more than about 65 percent moisture with a high whey
protein/casein ratio (e.g., about 60/40 or higher) and with desirable firmness which does not involve whey separation
[10].
The most recent definition says that probiotics are live microorganisms administered in amounts that positively
affect the health of the host [11, 12].In addition to the probiotic approach of directly introducing live bacteria to the
colon through dietary supplementation, another approach to increase the number of beneficial bacteria, such as
bifidobacteria, in the intestinal microbiota is through the use of prebiotics. Prebiotics are non-digestible dietary
components that pass through to the colon and selectively stimulate the proliferation and/ or activity of populations
of desirable bacteria in situ [13]. Inulin is a linear β (2 1)-linked fructose polymer that occurs in garlic, asparagus
root, Jerusalem artichoke, dahlia tubers or chicory root [14]. It is a carbohydrate- based fat replacer.
Fresh cream cheese is a cheese obtained from the homogenization of a fresh cheese base with further ingredients,
including gums and hydrocolloids, salt and other spices. This cheese is a versatile food that permits addition of other
ingredients, including fibres like inulin. It has a spreadable structure, and is used as a spread on bread, in sandwiches
and as a salad dressing. It is an unripened cheese, stored at refrigeration temperatures, and the shelf life is rather
limited [15].
The incorporation of inulin, as a partial fat replacer, specifically in wheyless cream cheese, has not been previously
reported. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of level of inulin incorporation on the
chemical properties (pH, fat, dry matter, moisture and salt) of wheyless cream cheese. For this purpose, the wheyless
cream cheese with different contents of inulin was produced and investigated.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 Additives
The following additives are involved in the production of wheyless cream cheese:
• Two stabilizers: locust been gum (LBG, Robertet, The Netherlands) and carrageenan (CL220, Danisco,
Denmark).
• Dairy proteins consisted of skim milk powder (SMP, Iran), whey protein concentrate (WPC, Progel, Netherlands)
and sodium caseinate (EM7, Netherlands), to provide an aqueous dairy protein blend.
• Inulin (Frutafit TEX, SENSUS, Netherlands) .
• Coagulant (Standard rennet, Chy-Max, Chr, Hansen Inc., Denmark: 183 International MilkClotting Units
(IMCU)/mL (International Dairy Federation, 1997)) .
Pelagia Research Library
691