O. Sipahioglu et al., Structure, physico-chemical and sensory properties of feta cheese made with tapioca starch and lecithin as fat mimetics, INT DAIRY J, 9(11), 1999, pp. 783-789
Functionality of modified tapioca starch and lecithin as fat mimetics in Fe
ta cheese was studied. Cheeses were made with no fat mimetics, 1% modified
tapioca starch, 0.2% lecithin, and a combination of 0.5% tapioca starch and
0.1% lecithin. Low-fat Feta cheeses (9-16% fat) were prepared from bovine
1.6-2.2% fat milk. Cheeses were ripened for 45 d before chemical, sensory,
SEM, and textural evaluation. Levels of fat and fat mimetics significantly
affected moisture, protein, yield, and hardness. Reduced-fat cheeses with m
odified tapioca starch had the highest moisture (67.6%) and lowest protein
(13.5%) content and their hardness was higher. SEM micrographs revealed tha
t the size of protein aggregates increased as the fat content of the cheese
decreased. The combination of modified tapioca starch and lecithin improve
d flavor, texture and overall acceptability of reduced-fat and low-fat Feta
cheeses. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.