The impact of Cheddar or white brined cheese with various maturity degrees on the processed cheese consistency: A comparative study

Abstract This study focussed on the dependence on different emulsifying salt ternary mixture composition [disodium hydrogenphosphate (DSP), tetrasodium diphosphate (TSPP), sodium salt of polyphosphate (P20; number of phosphate units in the chain ≈ 20), trisodium citrate (TSC)] of hardness and gel strength of spreadable processed cheese (PC) manufactured from Cheddar and white brined cheeses. All PC samples were stored for 60 days (6 ± 2 °C). The hardest PC and samples with the highest gel strength were those produced from DSP and TSPP in a ratio 1:1. The hardness of all examined samples increased with the extending storage period, whilst their hardness and gel strength decreased with the rising maturity degree of the raw material utilised. Furthermore, higher values of gel strength were reported for the PC samples produced with Cheddar cheese in comparison with those made from white brined cheese.