Abstract
This study evaluated the correlation between instrumental and sensory textural measurements of light processed cheeses. Nine formulations of cheeses with different contents of fat and moisture were processed. The sensory characterization of cheese texture was performed using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis. Nine trained judges evaluated the texture attributes “consistency”, “viscosity”, “adhesivity” and “spreadability” using an unstructured 9-centimeter scale. Rheological evaluations were measured at 10 and 25 ºC in a rotational rheometer, HAAKE MARS, using a serrated parallel plate sensor with a 1 mm gap. “Yield stress”, “apparent viscosity (η 10 )” and the mechanical spectra of cheeses at a frequency range from 0.01 Hz to 10 Hz were measured. Instrumental parameters, including “firmness”, “chewiness”, “gumminess”, “cohesiveness” and “springiness”, were also measured in a mechanical universal testing machine (Instron). All instrumental measurements, except “cohesiveness”, correlated with the sensory attributes of texture (|r| > 0.50 and p < 0.10). Keywords: Rheology, Texture Profile Analysis, Descriptive Analysis
Highlights
Texture properties are increasingly recognized as important attributes of the quality, acceptability and consumption of food (Szczesniak, 2002)
Instrumental measurements of hardness are well correlated with sensory hardness and springiness, but instrumental techniques do not accurately profile the entire sensory textural experience
Fat and moisture inversely influenced the percentage of protein in the processed cheese samples; products with different combinations of fat and moisture (F1, F3 and F9) presented similar matrix protein levels due to moisture compensation in the protein content, which was generated by the fat reduction
Summary
Texture properties are increasingly recognized as important attributes of the quality, acceptability and consumption of food (Szczesniak, 2002). Texture characteristics are sensory properties by definition (IS0 1981), and diverse instrumental techniques for the evaluation of texture are encountered in the literature. The use of instrumental methods that correlate with sensory measures is an interesting alternative because instrumental measurements are usually cheaper and easier to control (Lassoued et al, 2008). Many instrumental methods to determine the properties of food texture have been developed (Bourne, 2002). Instrumental measurements of hardness are well correlated with sensory hardness and springiness, but instrumental techniques do not accurately profile the entire sensory textural experience. Tamime et al (1999) evaluated the sensory and instrumental measurements of the texture of processed cheeses with fat substitutes and reported that spreadability was positively correlated (p < 0.05) with the instrumental parameter elasticity and negatively correlated with cohesiveness. A significant correlation (|r| > 0.50 and p < 0.10) between the sensory and instrumental measurements of firmness in Manchego cheese has been observed (Gonzalez-Vinas et al, 2001)
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