Ripened cheeses; the effects of fat modifications on sensory characteristics and fatty acid composition
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Fat is a remarkable source of energy in diet. The majority of dietary fat consists of fatty acids, which have a great influence on health. Much attention in nutritional discussion has focused on the saturation of fatty acids in food. Another group of fatty acids with significance to health is trans fatty acids (TFAs). Trans fatty acids resemble saturated fat in a physiological sense but are shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease even more than saturated fat. Nevertheless, there are differences in the biological activity of different TFA isomers. The analysis of fatty acids has met an increasing demand for more and more precise identification. The correlation between saturated fat and cardiovascular diseases found in earlier decades has changed the nutritional recommendations to reduced-fat dairy products. Reduced-fat dairy products are a way of reducing total energy in diet, too. Dairy products may have a modified fatty acid profile if fat sources other than milk are used. Modern methods, with a greater weight on mass spectrometric methods, for fatty acid analysis and the effects of fat on the chemical and sensory characteristics of dairy products are reviewed. Fat reduction changes the properties of cheese. The aim of the first part of the study was to characterise cheeses on the Finnish market and find out specifically the appealing characteristics of reduced-fat cheeses. The cheeses in the study were Emmental, Edam and Havarti-type cheeses. Chemical composition, sensory profile and consumer liking were studied. Cheese properties and liking were linked to identify the appealing characteristics of different cheeses. The second part of the study included fatty acid analysis. Dairy products on the market have variable fat sources ofvegetable origin. It is known from the literature that hardened vegetable fats may have TFAs, but the current situation on the Finnish market was not known. The aim of the second part of the study was to survey the fatty acid profiles of milk-based dairy products (cheeses, vegetable fat ice creams, and vegetable fat cream substitutes) and spreads and shortenings on the market. Products with reduced-fat or modified fat were included. Free fatty acids are produced by lipolysis from fat. They have effect on the flavour of cheeses. Lipolysis can be enhanced by homogenisation. The aim of the third part of the study was to validate chromatographic method for free fatty acid analysis from cheese and to study the effect of homogenisation on free fatty acids in Emmental. The content of free fatty acids was joined to the sensory profile to find out if they have impact on flavour in the pilot Emmental cheeses. This study shows that it is possible to create reduced-fat cheeses with appealing characteristics. The properties influencing liking were slightly different in reduced-fat cheeses than in regular fat cheeses. Generally reduced-fat cheeses were lacking flavour. The liking of reduced-fat cheeses might increase if flavour intensities could be increased. However, it is desirable that flavour intensity is not increased with salt, as this has negative health effects. The second part of the study shows that several milk-based products and spreads on the Finnish market do not contain remarkable amounts of trans fat. In addition, the fatty acid profiles of the cheeses are shown not to be affected by cheese variety or fat reduction. More interestingly, products have variable amounts of essential fatty acids and n-3 fatty acids. Accurate identification requires good separation between fatty acid isomers. In this study polar and highly polar columns with 60 m or 100 m length were sufficient for cis/trans separation for nutritional purposes. The analysis of fatty acid methyl esters by GC-MSD gave detailed information on fatty acids in dairy food. Free fatty acids of Emmental cheese were quantitatively analysed by GCMSD without derivatisation. Internal standards were used to correct for the effect of sample treatment. The method was suitable for cheese and for shortand medium-chain fatty acids. These volatile fatty acids contribute to the flavour of cheese. The homogenisation of cheese milk increased the content of free fatty acids and the intensity of taste in trial cheeses. The defects, and on the other hand, the appealing characteristics of reduced-fat cheeses were studied. These results contribute to the development of appealing cheeses with reduced-fat content. The survey on fatty acids in dairy-based products gave up-to-date information on products on the market. These results have significance to nutritionists, dieticians, legislators and consumers, as this knowledge was not available before.
Source: Työväentutkimus Vuosikirja
Author: Tiina-Kaisa Ritvanen
Language: English
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2150555041