Evaluation of physicochemical, rheological, microstructural, and microbial characteristics of synbiotic ultrafiltrated white cheese treated with transglutaminase

Abstract

The quality parameters of the optimized symbiotic ultrafiltrated white cheese (OC; containing demineralized whey powder and inulin) treated with microbial transglutaminase enzyme (MTE) was compared with two commercial probiotic (PC) and non-probiotic (NC) cheeses. The counts of probiotic (Lactobacillus acidophilus LA5) and total lactic acid bacteria, and pH were significantly decreased during the 60-day cold storage period. Fat and protein contents, stress levels at the rupture point, and Young's modulus were meaningfully increased until the 30th day of storage, and thereafter were decreased. The amount of free amino acids in OC, PC, and NC cheeses were 1,440.25, 829.02, and 616.43 μmol/L, respectively. The total amount of free fatty acids in OC, PC, and NC cheeses were 100.06, 96.79, and 90.77 mg/100 g, respectively. Results showed that OC cheese had a more compact and less porous protein structure and maintained its superior texture score until the end of the storage period. Practical applications This research article deals with improving the texture of a synbiotic ultrafiltrated Iranian white cheese using whey powder and inulin (as prebiotics) and enzymatic treatment by microbial transglutaminase. In this investigation, an optimized synbiotic cheese was produced and compared with two commercial (non-probiotic and probiotic) cheeses based on physicochemical, rheological, microstructural, and microbial characteristics of the product. We found that the optimized cheese had superior texture as compare to control cheeses. The count of probiotic bacteria in both probiotic and synbiotic cheeses throughout the storage period was more than standard (>107). Therefore, our findings may likely to be of great interest to the vision of scientists, dairy technologists, and cheese-making industries.