Effect of octenyl succinylated waxy starch as a fat mimetic on texture, microstructure and physicochemical properties of Minas fresh cheese

•The effect of OS waxy maize starch on reduced fat Minas fresh cheese was studied.•Fat reduction decreased yield, increased hardness and promoted denser microstructure.•The addition of starch increased moisture and WHC, but it did not improve yield.•OS waxy starch is a promising ingredient for improving overall cheese quality.

The effect of fat reduction and the addition of octenyl succinylated (OS) waxy maize starch as a fat replacer on the physicochemical properties, texture, and microstructure of Minas fresh cheese was studied. The cheeses were produced according to three formulations: full-fat cheese (FC), reduced-fat cheese (RC), and reduced-fat cheese with 0.5 kg/100 L of added starch (SC). Analyses of the chemical composition, titratable acidity, water-holding capacity (WHC), yield, texture, microstructure, and electrophoretic profile of casein were conducted. Fat reduction increased the hardness and decreased the yield of the cheeses. Fat reduction also promoted a denser microstructure and less proteolysis. The concentration of starch that was added was insufficient to improve the yield and texture parameters of the reduced-fat cheese. However, the addition of starch increased the moisture content and the WHC of the reduced-fat cheese. In general, OS waxy maize starch improved the overall quality of the reduced-fat Minas fresh cheese.