Viscoelastic properties and overall sensory acceptability of reduced-fat Petit-Suisse cheese made by replacing milk fat with complex coacervate

Abstract

The structural–mechanical–sensory characteristics of cheese can be altered by reducing the fat content, but this can affect product acceptance by the consumer. A potential alternative for improving the characteristics of reduced-fat cheese (RFC) is to reinforce the protein network with biopolymers of complex coacervates which may act as building blocks within the continuous phase. The objective of this work was to determine the chemical composition, dynamic rheological properties, and overall sensory acceptability of four reduced-fat Petit-Suisse cheeses (RFC25, RFC50, RFC75, and RFC100) made by partial or total substitution (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of milk fat contained in milk cream (MC) by whey protein isolate–low-methoxyl pectin (WPI–LMP) complex coacervate (CC), in comparison to those of a full-fat Petit-Suisse cheese (FFC). The relative concentrations of the MC to CC determined the extent to which the buildup and rebodying occurred in the RFC cheeses, thus affecting their rheological properties and overall sensory acceptability. A linear regression model was determined which estimated the overall acceptability scores of the cheeses as a function of the changes in storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli with storage time. RFC50 and RFC75 cheeses displayed a mechanical–sensory response resembling that of the FFC cheese.