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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Texture, meltability, color and sensory properties of processed cheese as affected
by the addition of inulin
Syed Mansha Rafiq and Bikash C Ghosh
Received: 08 December 2016/Accepted: 15 May 2017
Abstract: The objective of this study was to examine the effect
of inulin (0–6%) on the texture, meltability, color and sensory
properties of processed cheese. It was observed that inulin
addition up to 4% had no significant effect on the textural and
sensory properties of processed cheese however, at 6% inulin
addition hardness increased whereas cohesiveness, springiness
and chewiness decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as compared to
the control. Meltability generally decreased with the increased
level of inulin addition but no significant difference (p > 0.05)
was found up to 4% whereas it was significantly lower (p < 0.05)
at 6% as compared to control. The body and texture score of the
cheese made with 6% inulin was also significantly lower (p <
0.05) than that of control cheese. Moisture content of the cheese
decreased with the addition of inulin. With the modification of
processing parameters, cheese made with 6% inulin did not show
significant difference (p > 0.05) in the textural properties and
secured good sensory score compared to control. Meltability
was also higher than the cheese made without any modification.
Incorporation of inulin influenced the fat, protein and ash
contents whereas pH was not affected. Our results suggest that
inulin can be added into the processed cheese up to 6% without
affecting much of its overall quality characteristics.
Keywords: Processed cheese, inulin, texture, meltability,
sensory
Syed Mansha Rafiq ()
Dairy Technology Section,
ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (SRS)
Adugodi, Bengaluru–560 030, India
Ph. +91- 9686435525
E-mail: mansharafiq@gmail.com
Bikash C. Ghosh
Dairy Technology Section,
ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (SRS)
Adugodi, Bengaluru–560 030, India
658
Indian J Dairy Sci 70(6):658-664 (2017)
Introduction
Currently, dietary fiber is considered as a key ingredient for
improving human health and the attention towards dietary fiber
enriched foods has been intensified manifolds due to its health
promoting properties. The basic characteristics of dietary ûber
are: impervious to hydrolysis by the gastric secretions and
absorption in the small intestine while fermentable by the
microflora of large intestine. Inulin is a storage carbohydrate in
plants, having fructose moieties joined by â-(2-1) D frutosyl
linkages and is resistant to digestion in the human small intestine
due to the â configuration of anomeric C-2 but it can be fermented
in large intestine. Almost 90 % of the inulin passes to the colon
and digested by bacteria present there. It is thus a significant
component of the dietary ûber complex and is labeled as dietary
ûber on food items (Shoiab et al., 2016). Physically, it is colorless
and odorless, and has a pleasant, slightly sweet taste.
Nutritionally, it has functional properties and health-promoting
effects that include reduced calorie value, dietary fiber and
prebiotic effects. Due to its ability to act as a dietary fiber and its
bifidogenic nature, inulin may represent a functional food
ingredient in a health context. Thus, research on its incorporation
into food products has relevance both from food technology
and nutritional perspectives which may be mutually
complementary (Karimi et al., 2015).
Several studies have examined the addition of inulin in cream
cheese (Alves et al., 2013), wheyless cream cheese (Fadaei et al.,
2012), petit-suisse cheese (Cardarelli et al., 2008), cottage cheese
(Araujo et al., 2010), imitation cheese (Hennelly et al.. 2006),
mozzarella cheese, Cheddar cheese (Wadhwani and McMahon,
2012) and kar-ish cheese (Alnemr et al., 2013). Despite these,
there is a general scarcity of studies investigating inulin in
processed cheese. Processed cheese is a rich source of fat
containing about 40% on dry matter basis. Most of the fat being
saturated can be linked to coronary heart diseases. Consumers
are becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between diet
and health and one of the foremost concerns in this regard relates
to the consumption of fat from foodstuffs, including from cheese
and other dairy products. Consequently, marketing opportunities
for lower fat cheeses exist but such cheeses must be
organoleptically acceptable and exhibit rheological properties
Indian J Dairy Sci 70(6):658-664 (2017)
similar to the full fat product (Gunasekaran and Ak, 2003). Inulin
incorporation into the processed cheese will reduce its fat content
as well as make it more beneficial to health but at the same time
rheological properties should not be compromised. Rheological
properties, which are related to firmness and meltability during
heat treatment, are very important for processed cheese both
when used for direct consumption as well as an ingredient in
prepared foods such as pizzas, burgers and toasted sandwiches
(Guinee et al., 2004). These rheological properties are affected
by a number of factors like the quality of the raw cheese to be
processed, emulsifying salts, water, temperature, agitation,
duration of processing, addition of dairy or non-dairy ingredients,
etc (Fox et al., 2000). Therefore this study was undertaken to
identify the optimum level of inulin which could be incorporated
into the processed cheese without altering its rheological and
sensory properties.
Materials and Methods
Materials
Cheddar cheese, both young (1-2 month ripened) and old varieties
(6 months ripened) were obtained from the dairy plant of NDRI
Bengaluru. Inulin (Frutafit HD) was supplied by M/s DKSH India
Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru. Tri-sodium citrate was used as emulsifying
salt for PC preparation. Common salt was purchased from the
local market of Bengaluru.
Manufacture of processed cheese
A blend of Cheddar cheese (75 % young and 25 % old) was used
for PC preparation. The young and old Cheddar cheeses were
cleaned, quartered, and milled by using milling machine (WFC
and Company USA: Model no 32). Double jacketed steam kettle
with a capacity of 10 Kgs (Milkmax Engineers Bengaluru) was
used for manufacture of PC. Milled cheese was taken into cheese
processing kettle. Calculated amount of salt (1%) and Tri-sodium
citrate (3%) as emulsifier was dissolved into calculated amount
of hot water and added into the cheese intermittently while
heating. When the mass became homogeneous, inulin (0, 2, 4 &
6%) dissolved in calculated amount of warm water was added
and mixed thoroughly. The contents in the vessel were heated to
75°C-85°C for 5-6 minutes with continuous stirring and scraping
of the surface with a steel ladle. Thereafter, the heating was
stopped and the hot product was transferred into the cups, cooled
for 2-3 hrs at room temperature and stored at refrigeration
temperature till its further use.
Compositional analysis
Moisture content of the control PC and inulin incorporated PC
was determined by gravimetric method (IS, SP: Part XI, 1981). Fat
and ash contents were determined as per the method described
in AOAC (2005). Total protein was determined by micro kjeldhal
659
method according to AOAC (2005) with some modification. The
pH was measured as described by Awad et al. (2005).
Textural analysis
Textural properties of the processed cheese were assessed using
a TA.XT.plus texture analyzer (Stable Micro Systems Ltd.,
Godalming, UK).The samples were cut (2.0×2.0×2.0 cm) using a
stainless steel knife and measurements were performed by two
sequential compression events using a 75 mm compression platen
probe at a speed of 2 mm/s and a trigger force of 2 g. Each sample
was subjected to 50% compression after tempering the samples
for 45 minutes at 25±2°C. The TPA hardness, cohesiveness,
gumminess, adhesiveness, chewiness and springiness were
measured (Gunasekaran & Ak, 2003).
Meltability
Meltability was measured using a modified Schreiber test
(Mleko & Foegeding, 2001). Samples (10 mm thick, 16 mm in
diameter) were kept in a covered glass petri plate and placed in
a preheated oven at 150°C and heated for 5 minutes, after
which they were removed and cooled for 30 minutes. Spread
area was measured using ImageJ software and meltability was
expressed as a ratio of melted area and initial area.
Analysis of surface color
The surface color of images acquired by scanner was
measured using Adobe Photoshop. The cropped images (24
bit, RGB) were imported to Adobe Photoshop and in Lab mode
values of L, a and b obtained through histogram. The value
obtained was converted in terms of CIE Lab (CIE L*a*b*)
color scale specified by Commission Internationale de
l’Eclairage (CIE). The coordinates in the CIE Lab evaluation
system viz: L*-lightness [zero (black) to 100 (white)], a*-
chromaticity [+60 (red) to -60 (green)] and b*- chromaticity
[+60 (yellow) to -60 (blue)] were determined using equations.
These values used to obtain color descriptors like yellowness
index and whiteness index were derived by computation
(Pathare et al., 2013).
100  L
L* (lightness) L*=
255
240  a
a* a*= -120
255
240  b
b* b*= -120
255
 Indian J Dairy Sci 70(6):658-664 (2017)

out and significant differences among samples were reported

142.86  b * according to Duncan’s test at p < 0.05.
Yellowness index YI=
L*
Results and Discussion
Whiteness index WI=100
Compositional analysis

Sensory analysis
Sensory analysis of control and inulin added processed cheese
was performed according to the methodology described by
Meyer (1973) on a 20 point score card using 8 trained panelists.
Sensory Panelists were well trained on evaluation of processed
cheese and were made familiar with the test methods used. The
sensory panel was selected based on the normal sensitivity for
basic color/appearance, body/texture and flavor of cheese. Duo-
trio tests were used to determine a candidate’s ability to detect
differences among similar products with different ingredients.
Cheese slices (about 2-3 cm) of 10–15 g of each were presented
in a covered glass Petri plate in a random order with coded
numbers. During each session of evaluation, four samples were
presented at a time along with one reference (control) sample.
The judged parameters were: appearance (4), body and texture
(8) and flavour (8).
Statistical analysis
The statistical analysis was performed using the statistical
software SPSS 16.0 (Stat Soft Polska Sp. z o. o., Krakow, Poland).
One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the data was carried
It was observed that with the increased level of inulin, moisture
content of cheese decreased; however the decrease in the
moisture content was non significant(p > 0.05) up to 4% inulin
addition (Table 1) whereas it was significantly (p < 0.05) lower
(36.59% ) when the cheese was made with 6% inulin as compared
to control (42.89%). The decrease in the moisture content could
be due to the utilization of water by inulin in gel formation and
less water being available for processing. Processing parameters
were modified for 6% inulin addition to have a non significant
difference with the control. Water addition during processing
was increased and processing time was decreased compared to
other samples. Cheese made with 6% inulin by the modified
method showed moisture content of 40.74% which was similar
to control cheese. Fat, protein and ash content decreased with
increased level of inulin. Replacement of milk fat in processed
cheese analogues with inulin to improve the functional properties
was suggested by Solowiej et al. (2015). The decrease in fat,
protein and ash content could be due to the addition of inulin.
pH of the samples increased slightly with the addition of inulin
but no significant difference (p > 0.05) was found as compared to
control. The final pH of processed cheese is an important factor
controlling the final structure (Kapoor & Metzger, 2008). pH of

Table 1: Chemical composition of processed cheese with different inulin levels

Attributes Control 2% Inulin 4% Inulin 6% Inulin

Moisture (%) 42.89±0.29a 42.23±1.72a 40.79±2.25a 40.74±0.71a
Fat (%) 29.18±0.48a 28.14±0.58b 27.67±0.45bc 27.09±0.45c
Protein (%) 22.97±0.14a 22.03±0.58ab 21.59±0.34b 20.34±0.89c
Ash (%) 4.02±0.05a 3.95±0.03a 3.82±0.05b 3.89±0.02b
pH 5.60±0.13a 5.71±0.12a 5.73±0.11a 5.72±0.12a
Results are expressed as Mean±S.D; means with different superscripts in a row differ significantly (p<0.05)(n=3)

Table 2: Meltability index of processed cheese with different inulin levels

Samples Meltability index

Control 4.54±0.35a
2% Inulin 4.22±0.46a
4% Inulin 3.87±0.42a
6% Inulin 2.95±0.31b
6% InulinM 3.68±0.51ab

Results are expressed as Mean±S.D; means with different superscripts in a column differ significantly (p<0.05)(n=3)

660
Indian J Dairy Sci 70(6):658-664 (2017)

Fig. 1. Effect of inulin on the textural characteristics of processed cheese; bars with different alphabets in a bar chart are significantly
different (p <0.05) (n=3)

661
 Indian J Dairy Sci 70(6):658-664 (2017)

Table 3: Color evaluation parameters of processed cheese with different inulin levels
Parameters Control 2% Inulin 4% Inulin 6% Inulin
L* 91.86±0.52a 91.92±0.34a 91.97±0.44a 92.01±0.45a
a* - 0.52±0.03a —0.50±0.03a 0.47±0.06a - 0.42±0.35a
b* 34.78±0.37a 34.75±0.22a 34.73±0.25a 34.71±0.14a
Whiteness index 64.27±0.51a 64.30± 0.41a 64.33±0.48a 64.35±0.46a
Yellowness index 54.09±0.38a 54.02±0.20a 53.54±0.30a 53.86±0.29a

Results are expressed as Mean±S.D; means with different superscripts in a row differ significantly (p<0.05)(n=3)

Fig. 2. Effect of inulin on the

sensory characteristics of
processed cheese; bars with
different alphabets in a bar
chart are significantly
different (p <0.05) (n=3)

all our samples was within the range of a good-quality processed
cheese (5.4-5.8) as suggested by Marchesseau et al.(1997).
Texture profile analysis
As the levels of inulin increased from 0 to 6% the hardness and
adhesiveness increased while cohesiveness, gumminess,
springiness and chewiness decreased (Fig. 1). Hardness of cheese
with 6% inulin was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the
control. The increase in hardness might be due to high water
binding capacity and higher molecular weight of inulin (Buriti et
al,. 2010). The results are in agreement with those reported in
yog-ice cream (El-Nagar et al., 2002), probiotic fermented ice cream
(Akin et al., 2007) and processed cheese spread (Giri et al., 2014).
The increase in hardness with increased levels of inulin
corresponds to the decrease in moisture, fat and protein content
of the cheese. The lubricity and softness of cheese is attributed
to the fat and moisture contents that act as filler in the casein
matrix of cheese texture (Madadlou et al., 2005). Cohesiveness,
chewiness and springiness decreased with the increased level of
inulin but no significant difference (p >0.05) was observed up to
4% addition. However, all these parameters were significantly
lower (p <0.05) in the cheese made with 6% inulin than the control.
No significant difference (p >0.05) was found in the gumminess
of inulin added cheeses when compared to the control.
Modification of processing parameters was done for 6% inulin
added cheese and it was found that there was no significant
difference (p >0.05) in the hardness, cohesiveness, chewiness
and springiness between the cheese made with 6% inulin by
modified method and control.
The slight decrease in the textural parameters can be attributed
to the decrease in protein content of the cheese with increased
inulin level. Decrease in the protein content alters the interactions
within the matrix thus reducing the textural properties.
Adhesiveness, which is the tendency of the processed cheese
to resist separation from a material it contacts (Kapoor and
Metzger, 2008), increased with the increased level of inulin but
no significant difference (p >0.05) was found as compared to the
control. The increased adhesiveness can be attributed to the

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Indian J Dairy Sci 70(6):658-664 (2017)
decrease in the fat content as reduced fat cheese tends to be
more elastic and more adhesive (Gunasekaran & Ak, 2003).
Meltability
Meltability in general decreased with the addition of inulin but
no significant difference (p >0.05) was observed in the cheese
made with up to 4% addition (Table 2). Since the addition of 6%
inulin caused the reduction of moisture to 36.42%, the cheese
was hard and melted poorly. Cheese made with 6% inulin by
modified method showed moisture content of 40.74% and
hardness of 25N, and had greater meltability than that made
without any modified process. The decrease in meltability can
also be attributed to the decrease in fat content. Fat in cheese is
present as globules within the protein matrix network and act as
fillers which influence the rheological properties of cheese. The
size and distribution of fat globules has an effect on the properties
of cheese. A relatively low number of fat globules in reduced- fat
cheese results in a denser structural matrix leading to a firm and
dry cheese that melts poorly (Gunasekaran and Ak, 2003).
Meltability of cheese is one of its most important functional
characteristics, in particular when cheese is used as a topping or
as an ingredient in processed foods (Wang and Sun, 2002).
Instrumental color
The results obtained for the instrumental color evaluation are
shown in Table 3. For all the samples, the parameter a* presented
negative values, indicating a tendency of the samples towards a
green color, whilst the parameter b* gave positive values,
indicating a tendency towards a yellow color. However a* and
b* values decreased with the increased level of inulin. L*
(luminosity) value increased from 91.86 to 92.05 with the increase
in inulin addition from 0 to 6%. There were no significant
differences (p > 0.05) among the samples with respect to the
parameters of L*, a*and b* but the inulin incorporated cheese
appeared to be whiter than control sample. Whiteness index
increased and yellowness index decreased as the level of inulin
increased but no significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed
between inulin added and control cheese.
Sensory analysis
The addition of the inulin to the processed cheese caused a
decrease in the body & texture score (Fig. 2). However, the
decrease in the score was non-significant (p > 0.05) up to 4%
inulin addition. Cheese made with 6% inulin scored significantly
(p < 0.05) lower value (5.5) for body and texture than control
(6.99). This may be due to the decreased moisture content of the
cheese with the increased level of inulin addition which also
made it brittle and hard. Sharp cheese flavor got reduced with the
addition of inulin and it was liked by the sensory panelists.
Appearance was almost similar in all the samples. Cheese made
with 6% inulin by modified method showed an improved body
and texture score (6.71) similar to control.
663
Conclusions
Inulin was added to the processed cheese as a source of soluble
fiber. Its addition up to 6% reduced the fat content by 7% without
much effect on the melting and sensory characteristics of
processed cheese. It also showed no significant effect on the
textural properties which are ideal for processed cheese when it
is used as an ingredient in foods or consumed directly. Based on
our results it can be concluded that processed cheese made with
up to 6% inulin can be used for direct consumption as well as an
ingredient in pizzas, sauces and sandwiches preparation.
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