Use of low concentration factor ultrafiltration retentates in reduced fat “Minas Frescal” cheese manufacture: Effect on composition, proteolysis, viscoelastic properties and sensory acceptance

Composition, proteolysis, viscoelastic properties and sensory acceptance of reduced fat “Minas Frescal” cheese made from low concentration factor (CF) retentates were studied. Three different CFs (1.2, 1.5 and 1.8) were tested. The cheeses were monitored for proteolysis and rheological characteristics during 16 days of storage at 7 °C. The moisture content of the cheeses decreased with increasing CF. Proteolysis was not significantly influenced by CF, but increased with time for all cheeses. The viscoelastic properties were significantly affected by CF, but not by storage time. As CF increased, fracture stress, elasticity, maximum stress, creep Newtonian viscosity and stress-relaxation parameters (elastic moduli E0, E1, E2, and viscosities η1η1, η2η2) increased, while creep compliances (J0, J1, J2) decreased. Increasing CF to 1.8 significantly reduced the grading scores for appearance, texture and overall impression; in contrast, increasing the CF from 1.2 to 1.5 did not significantly influence the grading scores for these parameters.