Behavior of stabilizers in acidified solutions and their effect on the textural, rheological, and sensory properties of cream cheese

Abstract

Stabilizers are routinely added during cream cheese manufacture to help prevent syneresis during storage. We investigated how different types of stabilizers affected the texture, rheology, and sensory properties of cream cheese. Cream cheeses were manufactured with 0.33% xanthan gum (XG), locust bean gum (LBG), guar gum (GG), or a combination (CBN) of these 3 stabilizers (0.11% of each). Rheological properties of solutions of the individual stabilizers and their combination (equal amounts) were also determined under conditions similar to the aqueous phase of cream cheese (0.6% gum, 1.8% NaCl, and pH 5). Dynamic small amplitude rheological properties of the cream cheeses were measured during heating from 5 to 80°C at the rate of 1°C/min and cooling at the same rate (because most cream cheese is hot packed/filled before cooling). Measured rheological parameters included storage modulus (G') and loss tangent. Hardness of cream cheeses was determined by texture profile analysis. Quantitative spectrum descriptive sensory analysis was also performed. Distinct differences were observed between the rheological properties of solutions of the individual stabilizers and the CBN containing all the stabilizers. Results showed that CBN solution formed a strong, thermally reversible gel due to synergistic interaction between stabilizers, whereas XG solution formed a weak gel that was not greatly affected by temperature. Solutions of LBG and GG behaved rheologically as entangled polymer solutions. In the high-temperature (>35°C) region, cream cheeses made with XG and CBN showed higher G' values compared with other cream cheeses. The G' values were higher for XG- and CBN-stabilized cream cheeses than LBG- and GG-stabilized cream cheeses at several temperature regions during the cooling cycle. The CBN-stabilized cream cheeses had higher hardness values than the cream cheeses manufactured with the individual stabilizers. Differences were observed between the sensory attributes of cream cheeses stabilized with CBN and those made with individual stabilizers. At low temperatures, the higher hardness and G' values of CBN-stabilized cream cheeses could be due to synergistic interaction between XG and galactomannans. The higher elasticity of XG-stabilized cream cheeses at high temperatures could be due to its higher thermal stability. This study showed that the stabilizers added during manufacture of cream cheese affected its texture, rheological, and sensory properties.