Impact of Using Transglutaminase Enzyme in Manufacturing Low and High Fat Mozzarella Cheese

Metwally Mme,Gazar Ef,El Zeini Hm

doi:10.21767/2577-0586.10035

Abstract

A method for the use of transglutaminase enzyme (TG) in rennet coagulated cheese making was adopted. Rennet was added to milk at 5°C and kept for 30 min, the TG was added and the mixture was left for 2 h before raising the temperature to 40°C for coagulation. The method was used for processing low and high fat mozzarella cheese with 2 levels of TG (0.02 and 0.05%). The cheese was stored for 28 days at 5°C and the cheese chemical composition, functional properties and sensory attributes were determined. The addition of TG significantly increased cheese yield, moisture, fat and protein recovery and improved stretchability and meltability. In low fat cheese, the yield, stretchability and meltability increased by 8%, 40% and 50% in 0.02% TG cheese and 15.1% 60% and 66% in 0.05% TG cheese, respectively. In high fat cheese, the yield, stretchability and meltability increased by 7.5%, 25% and 23.6% in 0.02% TG cheese and by 13.3%, 37.5% and 32.7% in 0.05% TG cheese, respectively. Organoleptically, treated cheese was more acceptable than the control. According to the results, the use of 0.02% of the enzyme for full fat cheese and 0.05% for low fat cheese are recommended.

Highlights

Mozzarella cheese has unique functionalities in melted state as meltability, free oil formation, stretchability and browning [1]
Seven experimental trials (Table 1) were carried out using the fact that rennet and transglutaminase enzyme (TG) enzymes work at cold temperature (5°C) but without casein coagulation
T3, T5 and T6 took longer coagulation periods (58, 64 and 63.4 min, respectively). These results indicated that, whether rennet works before TG (T3) or both worked simultaneously (T4 and T5) there was a certain limit for the extent of TG reaction, which was not more than 2 h, otherwise coagulation is delayed or inhibited and forming abnormal viscosity curves

Summary

Introduction

Mozzarella cheese has unique functionalities in melted state as meltability, free oil formation, stretchability and browning [1]. These functionalities are governed by various factors such as milk composition, added additives, processing steps and storage conditions [2,3,4]. A balance should exist between salt and Ca++ as well as the presence of proper cheese pH [5,4]. Mozzarella microstructure is formed of protein fibers with channels filled with cheese serum containing fat globules which allow more serum to exist when fibers are closely packed. The presence of proper percent of water is important, since it acts as lubricant or plasticizer between protein molecules

Methods

Results

Conclusion