Increasing stringiness of low-fat mozzarella string cheese using polysaccharides

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Dairy Technology
• Material Science

Background:

• Reduced fat content in pasta filata cheese, such as mozzarella, leads to a loss of fibrous texture and stringiness, impacting its suitability for string cheese production.
• Polysaccharides are being explored as potential fat mimetics to improve the texture and processing of low-fat (LF) cheeses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of various polysaccharides as fat mimetics in enhancing the stringiness and texture of LF mozzarella string cheese.
• To evaluate the impact of xanthan gum on the sensory attributes, texture, and shelf-life stability of LF string cheese.

Main Methods:

• Low-fat mozzarella cheese curd was processed and mixed with hot slurries of different polysaccharides (waxy corn starch, waxy rice starch, instant tapioca starch, polydextrose, xanthan gum, guar gum).
• The modified cheese was formed into LF string cheese using a piston-driven extruder.
• Stringiness was assessed by longitudinal pulling, hardness by Warner-Bratzler shear test, and consumer acceptance via a just-about-right (JAR) test and flavor liking scores over 8 weeks of storage.

Main Results:

• Starch slurries increased moisture but did not improve stringiness. Xanthan gum was the most effective polysaccharide, closely mimicking the visual characteristics of commercial low-moisture part-skim (LMPS) mozzarella string cheese without increasing moisture.
• LF string cheese with 10% xanthan gum showed increased consumer flavor liking compared to LF control, though slightly less than LMPS control. Texture was initially firmer but softened over storage.
• Stringiness decreased during extended refrigerated storage (up to 8 weeks) for all LF samples.

Conclusions:

• Xanthan gum shows significant potential as a fat mimetic to improve the stringiness and texture of LF mozzarella string cheese.
• Further research is needed to develop quantitative methods for measuring stringiness and to ensure its stability throughout the required refrigerated shelf life.
• The study demonstrates the feasibility of using polysaccharides, particularly xanthan gum, to enhance the quality of low-fat string cheese products.