Sodium reduction in “Requeijão cremoso” processed cheese made from fresh and refrigerated sheep milk

Abstract

The characteristics of traditional and reduced-sodium “Requeijão cremoso” processed cheese made from fresh sheep milk and refrigerated milk (4°C/5 days) were evaluated. Five days were established as the maximum time of storage of raw milk, reaching counts of 106 and 105 CFU/ml of mesophilic and psychrotrophic populations, respectively. The curds produced from refrigerated milk had lower fat content (~20%) and resulted in processed cheese with higher hardness, cohesiveness, and gumminess. The replacement of common emulsifying salt for reduced-sodium salt led to a 50% sodium reduction in the product, with no changes in color, texture, and pH. The results showed that the storage of raw milk had an impact on the curd composition and the texture of processed cheese. On the other hand, the replacement of emulsifying salt only affected the mineral composition of the final product, being an interesting alternative to ensure low-sodium content in processed cheese. Practical applications Studies on determining the limited period of raw sheep milk storage and the consequences on the final product are important for the sheep dairy chain, mainly because sheep milk is produced by smallholdings in many countries. Many producers need to store raw milk for days to accumulate a sufficient volume of milk for processing. In turn, sodium reduction is a global trend, thus knowledge about the impact of the replacement of emulsifying salt in processed cheese may encourage different dairy manufacturers to reformulate their products aiming to develop healthier products.