Sodium substitutes in Prato cheese: Impact on the physicochemical parameters, rheology aspects and sensory acceptance
Introduction
Excessive sodium intake has become a public health problem since it can lead to the occurrence of hypertension, osteoporosis, and chronic diseases (Ferrão et al., 2016). In Brazil, sodium intake is estimated at about 12 g of salt per day, which is well above 5 g or 2000 mg of sodium per day recommended by the World Health Organization (Nilson, Jaime, Resende, 2012). However, salt is important in the cheese manufacture, since it controls the water activity and microbial growth, enzyme activity during ripening, curd syneresis, as well as influencing the flavor and texture of cheeses (Cruz et al., 2011).
Prato cheese is one of the most consumed cheeses in Brazil (Nepomuceno, Costa Junior, & Costa, 2016), and is used directly and indirectly as an ingredient for sandwiches and other culinary applications. However, its high consumption has a direct impact on the salt intake of the Brazilian population. In a study with 36 Prato cheese samples, 80% had sodium content higher than 400 mg/100 g (Felicio et al., 2013). The daily consumption of two slices of Prato cheese (30 g each) contributes to a daily intake of 17.6% for a maximum intake of 2000 mg Na/person/day (Felicio et al., 2013).
Potassium chloride has been commonly used as a salt substitute to reduce sodium in cheeses. However, at high concentrations (>1%) it can lead to sourness perception (Cruz et al., 2011). Other salt substitutes for use in cheeses are available on the market, including Salona™ (ICL Brazil), which is a low-sodium sea salt originating in Israel, consisting of magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, and sodium chloride, which allows a replacement of 25–50% sodium chloride. Sub4salt® (Jungbunzlauer International AG) is another commercially available salt substitute, which allows the reduction of 30–50% sodium with similar sensory characteristics to the traditional product, as it contains sodium and potassium chloride and sodium gluconate, which can mask the off-notes of potassium salt (Jungbunzlauer, 2015).
Studies on the salt reduction of Prato cheese using replacements of sodium chloride by potassium chloride (KCl) (Rapacci, Antunes, & Furtado, 1996), magnesium chloride (MgCl2) (Antunes & Costa, 1995) and other compounds with similar function of sodium chloride as potassium lactate (Cichoski, Cunico, Di Luccio, Zitkoski, & Carvalho, 2008) or a simple salt reduction of Prato cheese (Baptista, Araújo, Eberlin, & Gigante, 2017) have been carried out. The salt reductions in combination with flavor enhancers have been found in the literature in probiotic Prato cheese processed (Silva et al., 2017) and Minas cheese added with arginine (Felicio et al., 2016). In the current market for ingredients, some products have been offered as partial substitutes for sodium chloride; however, there are no studies on the application of these substitutes in cheese salted in brine, thus further studies are required. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the partial replacement of NaCl by sodium substitutes on the physicochemical, sensory characteristics, melting capacity, and texture profile of Prato cheese.
Section snippets
Prato cheese manufacture
Prato cheese was produced in four replicates at different times, according to Fig. 1. After pressing, the cheeses (2 kg) were fractionated into 1 kg pieces and divided into four batches. Each batch was placed in a 20% (w/v) brine containing: (a) only sodium chloride (100%); (B) 60% NaCl and 40% KCl; (C) 60% NaCl and 40% Sub4salt®; (D) 60% NaCl and 40% Salona™. The ingredients sodium chloride (Cisne, São Paulo, Brazil), potassium chloride (Sigma, São Paulo, Brazil), Sub4salt® (Merck Millipore
Cheese composition
The physicochemical characteristics of Prato cheese including moisture content, protein, fat, chloride, and FDM were not affected by the sodium reduction (P > .05) (Table 1). Similar moisture contents were observed for all cheeses since they were made using the same raw material in a single batch, and separated only in the salting step. Thus, only the effect of moisture loss of cheeses salted in different brines was evaluated, which resulted in similar final moisture content for all samples. A
Conclusions
The partial replacement of NaCl with the use of sodium substitutes did not interfere in the physicochemical, melting capacity, and texture profile of Prato cheeses. A significant sodium reduction was observed with the use of salt substitutes. The cheeses presented similar acceptance scores when compared to the control treatment. The results obtained in this work allow the production of reduced-sodium Prato cheese with the same characteristics of traditional cheese. Thus, the sodium reduction
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) for the scholarships and financial support (APQ-01274-14) and ICL Brazil and Merck Millipore Brazil for the donation of sodium substitutes.
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