Effect of heat treatment, final pH of acidification, and homogenization pressure on the texture properties of cream cheese

Abstract

International audienceCream cheese is a good model for studying the effect of process and formulation changes on the modification of product texture. In this study, the intensity of heat treatment (72 °C/20 s or 94 °C/40 s), the final pH of acidification (pH 5.2 or 4.9) and the homogenization pressure (0, 5, 20, or 60 MPa) were studied. Special attention was paid to the whey protein denaturation, casein micelle dissociation, fat globule size and their relations with structural, rheological, and sensory characteristics of the cream cheese model. Rheological properties of final cream cheese mainly depended on homogenization pressure. Increasing the homogenization pressure led to a decrease in fat globule size and consequently in an increase in the cream cheese firmness. This result was modulated by heat treatment temperature and the subsequent whey protein denaturation. Cream cheese final pH between 5.2 and 4.9 had a low impact on rheological properties but was the most discriminating factor for sensory perception by strongly affecting product appearance especially its brightness and its shade

Effect of homogenisation of cheese milk and high‐shear mixing of the curd during cream cheese manufacture

“…Similar results have been reported at homogenisation pressures of 0, 5, 20 and 60 MPa in cream cheese by Coutouly et al . ().…”

“…This differs from the observation of other researchers (Brighenti ; Coutouly et al . ) who observed an increase in fat droplet size with increase in homogenisation pressure.…”

“…Coutouly et al . (), on the other hand, examined one‐stage homogenisation at 0, 5, 20 or 60 MPa, and observed a firmer and less spreadable cream cheese as the homogenisation pressure increased. However, there is no reported investigation of the use of homogenisation pressures as high as 100 MPa on the cream mixture and the effect of this on cream cheese texture.…”

“…; Almena‐Aliste and Kindstedt ; Brighenti ; Coutouly et al . ), and no information is available about the effects of very high homogenisation pressure of cheese milk and high‐shear mixing treatments of curd on the textural and microstructural characteristics of cream cheese. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the physical–chemical characteristics of cream cheeses made from homogenised or unhomogenised milk, and also to characterise medium‐fat cream cheese properties made by employing high‐shear mixing of curd.…”

The effect of homogenization on texture of reduced dry matter processed cheese

“…Abd El-Gawad et al (2012) revealed that Mozzarella cheese made from homogenized buffalo milk was firmer and more elastic than non-homogenized samples. Coutouly et al (2014) reported that increasing the homogenization pressure led to a decrease in fat globule size and consequently an increase in the cream cheese firmness. Sohrabvandi et al (2013) observed that homogenization at 50 bar after heating led to the highest hardness, whilst non-homogenized and homogenized treatments at 150 bar before heating resulted in the lowest hardness.…”