Impact of emulsifying salts on milk proteins and process cheese properties

Abstract Text:

Emulsifying salts, like citrate and phosphates, are widely used to modify the properties of caseins via a range of chemical and physical reactions. During the manufacture of process cheese, emulsifying salts have the ability to influence several critical events, such as Ca²⁺ binding (including complex formation), pH adjustment, casein dispersion (or crosslinking), fat emulsification, and structure formation. The impact of single emulsifying salts on casein properties, and process cheese functionality, has been studied. However, in many cases confounding effects, like pH changes due to variation in the amount/type of emulsifying salt, were not addressed in the experimental approach. Trisodium citrate and disodium phosphate are widely used to make many process cheese products whereas pyrophosphates are used for restricted melt applications. Pyrophosphates are very efficient at causing an initial casein dispersion of cheese, but during the heating phase they can cross-link these dispersed caseins to greatly increase viscosity (creaming). Mixtures of emulsifying salts alter casein properties and process cheese functionality in a complex fashion depending on the proportion, concentration and type of emulsifying salts present in these mixtures. 

Keywords:

Processed cheese, pyropshosphates, salts