Improving the characteristics of spreadable processed cheese using Konjac and Xanthan gums

The effects of konjac (0%-0.4% w/w) and xanthan (0%-0.4% w/w) gums on pH, sensory (taste, spreadability, firmness), and textural characteristics (hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess, chewiness) of spreadable processed cheese were investigated. The central composite design (CCD) was used and the data were analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM). The results showed that adding konjac and xanthan reduced the pH of the cheese. Regarding the sensory characteristics, the results indicated that increasing the xanthan and konjac gums increased the taste and firmness score, while the spreadability score was decreased. The textual profile analysis test showed that increasing the konjac and xanthan gums increased firmness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness of cheese. On the other hand, adding konjac and xanthan gums reduced the cheese adhesiveness. The different values of konjac had no significant effects on the springiness, but cheese springiness increased significantly (p <= .05) by increasing the amount of xanthan. Practical applications In the production of processed cheese, phosphate-emulsifying salts play a major role in the manufacture of a uniform product with appropriate physical and organoleptic characteristics; however, excessive consumption of these salts may lead to the many diseases in humans; therefore, to improving the product quality and also cost reduction, various types of hydrocolloids are used. For example konjac and xanthan have potential to improve the sensory and textural characteristics of processed cheese and use as ingredient in formulation of spreadable processed cheese.