TEXTURE OF CHEDDAR CHEESE AS INFLUENCED BY FAT REDUCTION

Cheddar cheeses with five different far levels (34, 32, 27, 21, and 13 %) were manufactured in a randomized block design experiment and repl icated four times. Cheeses were ripened for 4 months at 7 degrees C. M icrostructure was studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Te xture characteristics (adhesiveness, cohesiveness, hardness, and sprin giness) were determined by Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) using the In stron Universal Testing Machine and a trained sensory panel. Scanning electron micrographs showed that the open-intricate microstructure of the cheeses was lost with a decrease in fat content. Hardness and spri nginess increased while adhesiveness and cohesiveness of the cheeses d ecreased with decreasing fat content. Texture attributes were influenc ed by the nature of the protein matrix that resulted due to fat remova l.