Enriching the formulation of low-fat mozzarella cheese using micro-coated vitamin D3
ISSN: 0034-6659
Article publication date: 18 July 2024
Issue publication date: 25 July 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The use of polysaccharides increases solubility and consistency and causes functions such as viscosity? Moisture and food emulsifier stabilizer. This study aims to enrich the formulation of low-fat mozzarella cheese using microcoated vitamin D3 (VD3).
Design/methodology/approach
This study investigates the addition of hydrocolloids to low-fat mozzarella cheese to enhance its properties and nutritional value. Tests were conducted on cheese samples with 0.05% and 0.25% hydrocolloid concentrations at various stages: before production and at three and six months’ postproduction. The samples were evaluated for elasticity, pH and solubility to select the best one, which was then fortified with VD3. The vitamin was microencapsulated using alginate and whey protein to shield it from light and oxygen, optimizing the formula using the response surface method. The fortified cheese was tested for VD3 content over its shelf life.
Findings
Results indicated that all hydrocolloids tested improved moisture and meltability of the cheese while higher protein levels increased stretchability two to threefold. Rice starch hydrocolloid at 0.05% concentration was chosen due to superior sensory scores and minimal oil separation. This study concluded that VD3 levels remained stable during the cheese’s shelf life, suggesting that this approach could enhance the nutritional value of low-fat cheese without compromising its quality. Therefore, after examining the obtained results and comparing the regression models, the results indicated that the Quadratic model was chosen to investigate the effect of independent variables on the response rate, which had a statistically significant difference with other models (p = 0.0019). Also the results of the area under the curve and using the encapsulation efficiency equation, the percentage of microencapsulated vitamin was obtained, and according to the simulation results, the encapsulation efficiency was reported as 89.02%.
Originality/value
Developing innovative functional dairy products fortified with VD3 could improve the vitamin D status in deficient populations. Therefore, these designs can be applied at industrial scales for functional cheese production.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: There is no funding.
Competing interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Data availability: Requests for access to data can be directed to the corresponding author.
Citation
Rafiei, R., Roozbeh Nasiraie, L., Emam Jumeh, Z. and Jafarian, S. (2024), "Enriching the formulation of low-fat mozzarella cheese using micro-coated vitamin D3", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 54 No. 6, pp. 1009-1030. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-12-2023-0289
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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