Characterization of Defatted Products Obtained from the Parmigiano-Reggiano Manufacturing Chain: Determination of Peptides and Amino Acids Content and Study of the Digestibility and Bioactive Properties

Revitalizing traditional Turkish tort cheese into spreadable form: Enhancing bioactive and sensory attributes with utilization of carob molasses pulp that is a food waste

Tort cheese is a traditional cheese that is a gastronomically valuable product, especially in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, obtained by prolonged boiling of whey, which is one of the most important dairy byproducts. Due to the difficulty of production and its short shelf life, this cheese, which is produced in limited quantities and has low nutritional value, is among the forgotten products. In this study, a spreadable new cheese formulation was developed to increase the edibility and nutritional value of traditional Tort cheese. In this context, pulp (carob molasses pulp (CMP)) from carob molasses production was added to the cheese in different proportions (5%, 10%, and 15%), and some physicochemical, textural, and sensory properties of the cheeses were examined. As a result of the research, it was determined that the addition of CMP caused a decrease in the pH, fat, and protein content of the cheeses, while significantly increasing the dry matter, acidity, ash, carbohydrate, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content. With CMP addition, the hardness and water-holding capacity of the cheeses increased, while spreadability, adhesiveness, and syneresis decreased. As the concentration of CMP increased, the L* and b* values decreased, while the a* value increased. In terms of sensory properties, the least preferred sample was the control, while the sample with 5% CMP addition, which is the most spreadable cheese, was the most preferred. As a result, a new product with lower fat content that was more durable and stable, rich in bioactive properties, and with improved sensory attributes was developed.

Estimating the sensory-associated metabolites profiling of matcha based on PDO attributes as elucidated by NIRS and MS approaches

Matcha has been globally valued by consumers for its distinctive fragrance and flavor since ancient times. Currently, the protected designation of origin (PDO) certified matcha, characterized by unique sensory attributes, has garnered renewed interest from consumers and the industry. Given the challenges associated with assessing sensory perceptions, the origin of PDO-certified matcha samples from Guizhou was determined using NIRS and LC-MS platforms. Notably, the accuracy of our established attribute models, based on informative wavelengths selected by the CARS-PLS method, exceeds 0.9 for five sensory attributes, particularly the particle homogeneity attribute (with a validation correlation coefficient of 0.9668). Moreover, an LC-MS method was utilized to analyze non-target matcha metabolites to identify the primary flavor compounds associated with each flavor attribute and to pinpoint the key constituents responsible for variations in grade and flavor intensity. Additionally, high three-way intercorrelations between descriptive sensory attributes, metabolites, and the selected informative wavelengths were observed through network analysis, with correlation coefficients calculated to quantify these relationships. In this research, the integration of matcha chemical composition and sensory panel data was utilized to develop predictive models for assessing the flavor profile of matcha based on its chemical properties.

Reduction in the Brining Time in Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Production Minimally Affects Proteolysis, with No Effect on Sensory Properties

Brine soaking is one of the most important steps in the production of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, since it determines the amount of salt in the final product. Reduction in salt in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese might be important for improving its nutritional profile, but it could affect the manufacturing processes by altering proteolysis and consequently the product quality. In this study, for the first time, salt reduction was explored at the industrial level on real cheese samples manufactured in a local dairy. In particular, 20 wheels were produced with conventional (18 days, 10 wheels) and shorter (12 days, 10 wheels) brining steps. In every group, wheels were studied at two different ripening times, 15 and 30 months. A shorter brining time resulted in an average 12% decrease in salt content. A full characterization of free amino acids and peptides was performed by LC-MS on all samples. Free amino acids and peptides, as expected, increased with ripening, due to proteolysis, with samples having low salt content showing a slightly faster increase when compared to standard ones, hinting to a slightly accelerated proteolytic process. Nonetheless, low-salt and conventional cheeses shared similar sensory profiles at both ripening times.