Effect of calcium enrichment of Cheddar cheese on its structure, in vitro digestion and lipid bioaccessibility

The nutritional role of cheese is usually reduced to its composition, often neglecting the effect that the matrix can have on digestion. The purpose of this study was to establish a link between the characteristics of Cheddar cheeses with different calcium levels and the impact on cheese in vitro digestion. Curds were enriched with CaCl2 during the salting step to produce control, high-calcium, and very high-calcium cheeses. Cheese composition, texture and structure were characterized, and physical disintegration and lipolysis were monitored during in vitro digestion. Cheese hardness increased with higher calcium content. This resulted in a slower disintegration during in vitro digestion. Despite showing faster disintegration, the control cheese had the slowest lipolysis progression. The results suggest that lipolysis depends on calcium content and the matrix modulating the access of enzymes to their substrates. Further studies should provide a better understanding of the calcium–matrix interaction affecting lipid bioaccessibility.