Assessing the yield, microstructure, and texture properties of miniature Chihuahua-type cheese manufactured with a phospholipase A1 and exopolysaccharide-producing bacteria

Abstract

Chihuahua cheese or Mennonite cheese is one of the most popular and consumed cheeses in Mexico and by the Hispanic community in the United States. According to local producers the yield of Chihuahua cheese ranges from 9 to 9.5 kg of cheese from 100 kg of milk. Cheese yield is a crucial determinant of profitability in cheese-manufacturing plants; therefore, different methods have been developed to increase it. In this work, a miniature Chihuahua-type cheese model was used to assess the effect of a phospholipase A1 (PL-A1) and exopolysaccharide (EPS)-producing bacteria (separately and in combination) on the yield, microstructure, and texture of cheese. Four different cheeses were manufactured: cheese made with PL-A1, cheese made with EPS-producing bacteria, cheese with both PL-A1 and EPS-producing bacteria, and a cheese control without PL-A1 or EPS-producing bacteria. The compositional analysis of cheese was carried out using methods of AOAC International (Washington, DC). The actual yield and moisture-adjusted yield were calculated for all cheese treatments. Texture profile analyses of cheeses were performed using a texture analyzer. Micrographs were obtained by electron scanning microscopy. Fifty panelists carried out sensorial analysis using ranking tests. Incorporation of EPS-producing bacteria in the manufacture of cheese increased the moisture content and water activity. In contrast, the addition of PL-A1 did not increase fat retention or cheese yield. The use of EPS alone improved the cheese yield by increasing water and fat retention, but also caused a negative effect on the texture and flavor of Chihuahua cheese. The use of EPS-producing bacteria in combination with PL-A1 improved the cheese yield and increased the moisture and fat content. The cheeses with the best flavor and texture were those manufactured with PL-A1 and the cheeses manufactured with the combination of PL-A1 and EPS-producing culture.

Exopolysaccharide from <i>Lactobacillus pentosus</i> Strain H2 and Its Impact on Rheological Properties and the Sensory Evaluation of Low Fat Yoghurt and UF-Soft Cheese

“…Moisture content of both products that contained EPS was increased with increasing the EPS concentration. These results are in agreement with Jimenez-Guzman et al [39], Trancoso-Reyes et al [39,40] who mentioned that EPS have excellent water binding properties and moisture retention, which improve the quality of low fat dairy products. Generally, it was noticed that, fat, TN and WSN/TN contents in all EPS treatments were significantly (P ≤ 0.01) increased during storage periods.…”

“…Furthermore, the ability of binding water for the EPS reflected the ability of the EPS to enhance the consistency and some other rheological properties of dairy products. Similar results were reported by Francois et al, Trancoso-Reyes et al [40,43] who mentioned that using EPS-producing cultures in cheese manufacture improved most of the rheological properties and proteolysis of low-fat cheese. Also, the data in Fig.…”

Coliform detection in cheese is associated with specific cheese characteristics, but no association was found with pathogen detection

“…The strain included in the collection is able to cause a ropy defect in fluid milk most likely through the production of exopolysaccharides. Production of exopolysaccharides is often identified as a positive contributor to texture and other sensory properties of cheese and other dairy products (Trancoso-Reyes et al, 2014;Wu et al, 2014;Oberg et al, 2015). Our results suggest that many of the coliforms present in cheese may contribute to the final quality of cheese and do not represent indicators for unhygienic conditions in which cheese was manufactured.…”

Phospholipase Applications in Cheese Production

“…In a study [14] where PLA1 added into the cheese milk at a rate of 5 LEU per gram of milk fat with EPS-producing culture cheese yield is reported to increase.…”

“…The rest is lost in whey and brine and fat is lost during molding and stretching process [7,13]. Researches show that lysophospholipids improve the yield in a range of 0.7%-3.8% in total cheese [7,[14][15][16].…”