Effects of tropical fruit pulps and partially hydrolysed galactomannan from Caesalpinia pulcherrima seeds on the dietary fibre content,probiotic viability,texture and sensory features of goat dairy beverages

The use of cheese whey and probiotic cultures in the production of dairy beverages has been highly attractive; nonetheless, whey-based goat beverages tend to be poor and watery when compared to fermented milks. The addition of fruits and fibre ingredients might improve texture and mouthfeel of this kind of product. Fermented whey-based goat beverages prepared using Streptococcus thermophilus TA-40 as starter culture, with added guava or soursop pulps, and with or without addition of partially hydrolysed galactomannan from Caesalpinia pulcherrima seeds (PHGM), showed to be good vehicles for Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lr-32, maintaining their viability above 7 log CFU/ml during 21 days. PHGM increased the dietary fibre content and enhanced the instrumental texture and sensory features of both guava and soursop dairy beverages, especially texture, appearance, and overall acceptability. The PHGM might be recommended to improve nutritional and sensory quality of fermented probiotic beverages produced with goat milk and cheese whey.     

Characterization of Siahmazgi cheese,an Iranian ewe's milk variety: Assessment of physico-chemical,textural and rheological specifications during ripening

Siahmazgi cheese is an Iranian locally-made cheese produced from ewe's milk or a mixture of ewe and goat's milks in the suburbs of Rasht in the north of Iran. This kind of cheese is kept in sheepskin for six months under special condition which cause distinct physicochemical and textural characteristics. Therefore, in the present study the effect of ripening time (6 months) on the chemical, physicochemical, rheological and textural characteristics of Siahmazgi cheese (18 samples) was investigated. The rheological and textural properties were determined using rheometer (frequency sweep) and texture analyzer (uniaxial compression). Based on our findings, the measured values including pH, titratable acidity (TA), dry matter, fat, protein, ash, salt content, water soluble nitrogen in total nitrogen, and non-protein-nitrogen in total nitrogen significantly increased during ripening (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the results showed that the six-month ripened Siahmazgi cheese contained high values of dry matter (59.95 ± 0.08 g/100 g), salt (5.65 ± 0.05 g/100 g), and ash (7.24 ± 0.02 g/100 g). Regarding rheological and textural properties, storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″), fracture stress (σ_f) and firmness increased while loss tangent and fracture strain decreased.     

Short communication: Is consumption of a cheese rich in angiotensin-converting enzyme-inhibiting peptides,such as the Norwegian cheese Gamalost,associated with reduced blood pressure?

Epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibiting peptides derived from dairy products may decrease blood pressure. These peptides have been identified in many cheeses, and Gamalost, a traditional Norwegian cheese, is particularly rich in these peptides. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine whether frequency of Gamalost intake was associated with blood pressure in a Norwegian population sample. Blood pressure and other clinical measurements, including the factors of metabolic syndrome, were obtained from 168 participants (56% female, mean age = 51 yr) who completed a questionnaire about dietary habits and other health-related factors. Mean Gamalost intake was 2 servings per week. The prevalence of hypertension was 23.8% in the population, with mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures of 128 and 78 mmHg, respectively. Intake of Gamalost was inversely associated with systolic blood pressure. Each increase in frequency unit of Gamalost intake corresponded to a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 0.72 mmHg, after controlling for sex, age, education, waist circumference, physical activity, smoking status, and dairy food intake. Results from this study indicate that consumption of Gamalost (or other foods rich in ACE-inhibiting peptides) may reduce blood pressure.     

Short communication: Determination of lactoferrin in Feta cheese whey with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

In the current paper, a method is introduced to determine lactoferrin in sweet whey using reversed-phase HPLC without any pretreatment of the samples or use of a separation technique. As a starting point, the most common HPLC protocols for acid whey, which included pretreatment of the whey along with a sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE step, were tested. By skipping the pretreatment and the separation steps while altering the gradient profile, different chromatographs were obtained that proved to be equally efficient to determine lactoferrin. For this novel 1-step reversed-phase HPLC method, repeatability was very high over a wide range of concentrations (1.88% intraday to 5.89% interday). The limit of detection was 35.46 μg/mL [signal:noise ratio (S/N) = 3], whereas the limit of quantification was 50.86 μg/mL (S/N = 10). Omitting the pretreatment step caused a degradation of the column’s lifetime (to approximately 2,000 samples). As a result, the lactoferrin elution time changed, but neither the accuracy nor the separation ability of the method was significantly influenced. We observed that this degradation could be easily avoided or detained by centrifuging the samples to remove fat or by extensive cleaning of the column after every 5 samples.     

Investigation of different coating application methods on the performance of edible coatings on Mozzarella cheese

The performance of edible coating is influenced by the properties of coating materials and execution methods. In this study, three different coating materials (chitosan, sodium alginate, and soy protein isolate) and four different coating application methods (dipping, enrobing, spraying and electrostatic spraying) were investigated on their performance for coating Mozzarella cheese. The properties of coating solutions, morphology and basic quality changes of the cheese during storage at 4 °C were evaluated. Results showed that sodium alginate solution was the most viscous (η = 0.155 Pa s) and had small contact angle on hydrophobic substrate surface indicating its better spreadability on cheese. Film thickness displayed obvious differences based on the coating methods (ranging from 30.6 to 83.3 μm), with two spraying methods leading to thinner coatings. Sodium alginate coated cheese possessed the best overall physicochemical properties during storage whereas the preservation effects were not significantly different among four coating methods. This study provided valuable new information about the effective coating application methods for different coating materials.     

Textural and microstructural properties of urfa cheese (a white-brined Turkish cheese)

The texture and microstructure of white-brined cheeses similar to urfa (a traditional Turkish cheese) were studied. One batch of cheeses was made in the traditional manner and one batch was made from ultrafiltered (UF) milk. Samples from each batch were either ripened in brine after production or scalded in whey for 3 min at 90°C prior to ripening. The results showed only marginal differences in the ripening profiles of both batches of unscalded cheeses, but scalding slowed down the extent of proteolysis in both batches. The scalded cheeses had a firmer texture than the unscalded ones, and the unscalded UF cheese had a more 'springy' body than the unscalded traditional cheese. Overall, scalding resulted in a more homogeneous structure, but the unscalded UF cheese had a close texture that resembled the scalded samples. It was concluded that, with respect to texture and structure, cheeses made with UF milk do not need to be scalded after production.     

Effects of high pressure on proteolytic enzymes in cheese: relationship with the proteolysis of ewe milk cheese

Ewe milk cheeses were submitted to 200, 300, 400, and 500 MPa (2P to 5P) at 2 stages of ripening (after 1 and 15 d of manufacturing; P1 and P15). The high-pressure-treated cheeses showed a more important hydrolysis of β-casein than control and 2P1 cheeses. Degradation of α_s1-casein was more important in 3P1, 4P1, and P15 cheeses than control and 2P1 cheeses. The 5P1 cheeses exhibited the lowest degradation of α_s-caseins, probably as a consequence of the inactivation of residual chymosin. Treatment at 300 MPa applied on the first day of ripening increased the peptidolytic activity, accelerating the secondary proteolysis of cheeses. The 3P1 cheeses had extensive peptide degradation and the highest content of free amino acids. Treatments at 500 MPa, however, decelerated the proteolysis of cheeses due to a reduction of microbial population and inactivation of enzymes.     

Effect of κ-casein B relative content in bulk milk κ-casein on Montasio, Asiago, and Caciotta cheese yield using milk of similar protein composition

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect exerted by the relative content of κ-casein (κ-CN) B in bulk milk κ-CN on coagulation properties and cheese yield of 3 Italian cheese varieties (Montasio, Asiago, and Caciotta). Twenty-four cheese-making experiments were carried out in 2 industrial and 1 small-scale dairy plant. Detailed protein composition of bulk milk of 380 herds providing milk to these dairies was analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC. To obtain 2 experimental milks differing in the relative content of κ-CN B in κ-CN, herds were selected on the basis of bulk milk protein composition and relative content of κ-CN genetic variants. Milk was collected and processed separately for the 2 groups of selected herds. A difference of 20% in the relative content of κ-CN B in κ-CN was obtained for the 2 experimental milks for Montasio and a difference of 15% for Asiago and Caciotta. The 2 experimental milks were of similar protein and CN content, casein number, pH, CN composition, and β-CN genetic composition. For each cheese-making trial, amounts of milk, ranging from 2,000 to 6,000 kg, were manufactured. Each vat contained milk collected at least from 4 dairy herds. Cheese yield after brining and at the end of the aging was recorded. Milk with a greater proportion of κ-CN B in κ-CN (HIGHB) exhibited similar coagulation properties and greater cheese yield compared with milk with a lower proportion of κ-CN B in κ-CN (LOWB). The increased cheese yield observed for HIGHB when manufacturing Montasio cheese was ascribed to a greater fat content compared with LOWB. The probability of HIGHB giving a cheese yield 5% greater than that of LOWB ranged from 51 to 67% for Montasio cheese, but was less than 21% for Asiago and Caciotta cheeses. Variation in relative content of κ-CN B in κ-CN content did not relevantly affect industrial cheese yield when milks of similar CN composition were processed. An indirect effect due to the increased κ-CN content of κ-CN B milk is thought to explain the favorable effects of κ-CN B on cheese yield reported in the literature.     

Mexican Queso Chihuahua: functional properties of aging cheese

Queso Chihuahua, a semi-hard cheese manufactured from raw milk (RM) in northern Mexico, is being replaced by pasteurized milk (PM) versions because of food safety concerns and the desire for longer shelf life. In this study, the functional traits of authentic Mexican Queso Chihuahua made from RM or PM were characterized to identify sources of variation and to determine if pasteurization of the cheese milk resulted in changes to the functional properties. Two brands of RM cheese and 2 brands of PM cheese obtained in 3 seasons of the year from 4 manufacturers in Chihuahua, Mexico, were analyzed after 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 wk of storage at 4°C. A color measurement spectrophotometer was used to collect color data before and after heating at 232°C for 5 min or 130°C for 75 min. Meltability was measured using the Schreiber Melt Test on samples heated to 232°C for 5 min. Sliceability (the force required to cut through a sample) was measured using a texture analyzer fitted with a wire cutter attachment. Proteolysis was tracked using sodium dodecyl sulfate-PAGE. Compared with PM cheeses, RM cheeses showed less browning upon heating, melted more at 232°C, and initially required a greater cutting force. With aging, cheeses increased in meltability, decreased in whiteness when measured before heating, and required less cutting force to slice. Seasonal variations in the cheesemilk had minimal or no effect on the functional properties. The differences in the functional properties can be attributed, in part, to the mixed microflora present in the RM cheeses compared with the more homogeneous microflora added during the manufacture of PM cheeses. The degree of proteolysis and subsequent integrity of the cheese matrix contribute to melt, slice, and color properties of the RM and PM cheeses. Understanding the functional properties of the authentic RM cheeses will help researchers and cheesemakers develop pasteurized versions that maintain the traditional traits desired in the cheeses.     

Fretting fatigue behaviour of hard anodizing coated 2014‐T6 aluminium alloy with dissimilar mating materials under plane bending loading

The effect of hard anodizing coated 2014‐T6 aluminium alloy test samples with dissimilar mating materials on fretting fatigue was investigated. Fretting fatigue configuration involved bridge‐type pads on the flat specimen. Bridge‐type pads were made of AISI 4140 steel. All the fretting fatigue tests were conducted under plane bending loading with a stress ratio of R=?1. Coated and uncoated specimens were compared for microhardness, surface roughness, tangential force. The specimens were tested under both plain fatigue and fretting fatigue loading at ambient temperature. Micrographs obtained from scanning electron microscope showed that hard anodizing coating had tiny cracks through the thickness of the anodized layer. The hardness of hard anodized coating was higher than that of uncoated specimens and they also exhibited lower tangential force. However, the fretted region of the hard anodizing coated specimens was rougher than that of uncoated samples and despite lower tangential forces, fatigue lives of hard anodizing coated samples were inferior to those of uncoated samples. As the hard anodizing coating had pre‐existing tiny cracks and tension residual stress, cracks propagated from the hard anodizing coating through the interface into the substrate. We conclude that these may be the main reasons for inferior fretting fatigue lives compared with uncoated samples.