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The Effect of Salt on the Structure of Individual Fat Globules and the Microstructure of Dry Salted Cheddar Cheese

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Abstract

Salting is an essential step in the production of Cheddar and other cheese varieties and is a well-studied process but the effect of salt addition on the microstructure of the milk ingredients and resulting cheese is not well known. This study provides insights into how the primary components in milk and the cheese matrix respond to salting. High concentrations of salt (15–25% (w/w) NaCl) disrupted fat globules due to the increased osmotic pressure. This led to fat coalescence, resulting in large fat globules >10 μm in diameter, together with submicron sized fat globules ~ 120–500 nm in diameter. Salt addition also prevented the visualization of the milk fat globule membrane when added at high concentrations (25% (w/w) NaCl) and induced asymmetry in liquid ordered domains at lower concentrations (10% (w/w) NaCl). The microstructure of the surface of the milled curd was compacted by salt, appearing coarse with 5% (w/w) NaCl or more hydrated with a denser protein structure with 2.5% (w/w) NaCl. After pressing, the curd junctions were fine and thin within the unsalted sample but coarse and thick where 5% (w/w) NaCl was added. Such coarse junctions appear to reduce binding between curd particles leading to a less cohesive cheese. Our results show that NaCl can significantly impact on the structure of fat and protein matrix of the curd surface if salt is not evenly distributed during dry salting. High concentrations of salt can also change the microstructure and texture of the cheese, resulting in a more heterogeneous product.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Australian Research Council’s Industrial Transformation Research Program (ITRP) funding scheme (project number IH120100005). The ARC Dairy Innovation Hub is collaboration between the University of Melbourne, The University of Queensland and Dairy Innovation Australia Ltd. The authors thank the Advance Microscopy Facility (AMF), the Biological Optical Microscopy Platform (BOMP) at the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute and the Particular Fluids Processing Centre at the University of Melbourne for access to equipment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Vic, Parkville, 3010, Australia

    Lydia Ong, Hanh T. H. Nguyen & Sally L. Gras

  2. The Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Vic, Parkville, 3010, Australia

    Lydia Ong, Paolo D’Incecco, Hanh T. H. Nguyen & Sally L. Gras

  3. The ARC Dairy Innovation Hub, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Vic, Parkville, 3010, Australia

    Lydia Ong, Paolo D’Incecco, Hanh T. H. Nguyen, Sandra E. Kentish & Sally L. Gras

  4. The Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, 20133, Milan, Italy

    Paolo D’Incecco & Luisa Pellegrino

  5. Dairy Foods Team, Food & Bio-based Products Group, AgResearch Ltd, Grasslands Research Centre, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand

    Hanh T. H. Nguyen

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  1. Lydia Ong
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Correspondence to Sally L. Gras.

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Ong, L., D’Incecco, P., Pellegrino, L. et al. The Effect of Salt on the Structure of Individual Fat Globules and the Microstructure of Dry Salted Cheddar Cheese. Food Biophysics 15, 85–96 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11483-019-09606-x

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