Texture and microstructure of reduced-salt Cheddar cheese as affected by process modifications

The effect of change in pH at drainage (6.2, 5.9 and 5.6), rennet concentration (0.1 and 0.3) and casein to fat ratio (C/F) 0.60, 0.70 and 0.80) on texture and microstructure of salt-reduced Cheddar cheese was investigated. Cheeses with these treatments were prepared and analyzed for composition, texture profile and microstructure. At the same drainage pH, cheeses made with C/F ratio 0.6 had lower (P < 0.05) dry matter and protein content whereas, fat and ash % in dry matter were higher (P < 0.05) compared with at 0.7 and 0.8. The pH decreased significantly (P < 0.05) from day 0 to day 120 and then stabilized thereafter. In general, hardness of all cheeses increased from day 0 to day 60 of storage and then gradually decreased by the end of ripening (180 days). Cohesiveness showed an opposite trend to hardness. Adhesiveness significantly decreased during the storage period. Microstructure of cheese became denser, more compact and homogenous with small gaps at the end of storage (day 180) due to presence of peptides resulting from ripened cheese filling the matrix cavity.