Small alterations in intact casein levels of processed cheese could affect the quality of final product, according to a research titled ‘The Influence of Intact Casein in Processed Cheese’ which was conducted by Australian food equipment manufacturer Gold Peg.
The study found that the intact casein content of naturally-produced cheese, which is used to manufacture processed cheese, contributes to the quality of the end product, reported Dairyreporter.com.
Casein, which is found in varying levels in naturally-produced cheeses, makes up about 80% of the proteins found in cow milk.
During the research, the company experimented cheese of varying maturity to create formulations over a range of intact casein with consistent composition.
Researchers noticed that a 1% increase in intact casein levels from 7.5% to 8.5% showed a change of 154cp (8%) in viscosity, 126g (11%) in firmness, and a 2745Pa (10%) in fracture stress.
Geld Peg conducted its research at the Fonterra Research Centre in New Zealand.
Recently, Gold Peg introduced its Caseus Pro software that enables processed cheese manufacturers to measure rather than predict the intact casein content of cheese.
