The influence of high hydrostatic pressure on regular, reduced, low and no salt added Cheddar cheese

Cheddar cheeses were made with four salt in moisture (S/M) levels: regular (5.3%), reduced (2.5%), low (1.9%), and no salt (∼0.2%). High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (405 MPa for 3 min) treated 5.3, 2.5, 1.9 and 0.2% S/M level cheeses exhibited approximately 1, 2.5, 3, and 4 log reduction in numbers of starter bacteria, respectively. At 2 weeks of ripening, significant (P > 0.05) differences were observed in the maximum loss tangent (LTmax) values, and melting temperature with HHP treatment. Hardness tended to decrease with HHP and reduction in S/M. Neither HHP nor S/M concentration had a significant (P > 0.05) effect on trichloroacetic acid soluble nitrogen levels during ripening. Urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis did not indicate any differences in the levels of the bitter peptide β-casein(f1–189/192) with HHP. Non-treated and HHP treated cheeses had similar sensory flavor profiles (acidity, saltiness, bitterness) during ripening.