Continuous manufacturing of a light-textured foamed fresh cheese by dispersion of a gas phase. II. Influence of formulation Original Research Article

The continuous process developed in “Part I. Influence of process parameters” was used to investigate the influence of ingredients on the manufacturing of a light-textured foamed fresh cheese. The role of ingredients was analyzed using overrun, stability of the dispersed gas phase over time, cheese texture and visual aspect as indicators. Using cream and skim milk as a reference, fresh cheese formulation has been modified by replacing cream with milk fat fractions or incorporating whey protein concentrates (WPC) and emulsifiers, such as phospholipids (PhL) and mono–diglycerides (MDG). Experiments have shown that the foamability and the stability are enhanced by WPC addition and high-melting point fat fractions, but also that the simultaneous addition of WPC and PhL provides softer textures, whereas MDG present always a negative impact on foamability. The best results are obtained when WPC are incorporated before curd homogenization.