Sodium substitutes in Prato cheese: Impact on the physicochemical parameters, rheology aspects and sensory acceptance

Abstract

The effect of the partial substitution of sodium chloride by salt substitutes on the characteristics of Prato cheese was evaluated. Proximate composition, proteolysis, sensory evaluation, melting capacity, and texture profile were analyzed during 45 days of refrigerated storage. Prato cheese was salted in brine, replacing 40% of sodium chloride by the following salt substitutes: KCl, Sub4salt^®, and Salona™. Although no significant differences were observed in the physicochemical characteristics, pH, proteolysis indexes, melting capacity, and texture profile, significant changes were observed throughout the ripening time. A greater sodium reduction was observed in cheeses salted in brine using KCl (28.16%) and Salona™ (34.94%). The overall acceptance of the reduced-sodium cheeses was similar to the control. The use of salt substitutes allowed the sodium reduction in Prato cheese without affecting the product's acceptance and quality.

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.