Effect of calcium and phosphorus, residual lactose and salt-to-moisture ratio on textural properties of Cheddar cheese during ripening

The texture profile analysis (TPA) parameters and meltability of Cheddar cheeses with varying levels of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) content, residual lactose content and salt-to-moisture (S/M) ratio were studied at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 months of ripening. The TPA hardness had an inverse relationship with the meltability of Cheddar cheese and at any given ripening time, lower TPA hardness corresponded to higher meltability of Cheddar cheese. Higher Ca and P content (0.67% Ca and 0.53% P) in Cheddar cheese resulted in up to 22.8, 5.7, 14.6, 13.5 and 35.2% increase in hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, resilience and chewiness values, respectively, and up to 23.5 and 27.7% decrease in meltability and adhesiveness values during ripening compared to the Cheddar cheese prepared with lower Ca and P content (0.53% Ca and 0.39% P). Higher residual lactose content (1.4%) in Cheddar cheese resulted in up to 24.6, 8.8 and 20.0% increase in hardness, cohesiveness and chewiness values, respectively, and up to 12.7% decrease in meltability value in the Cheddar cheese during ripening compared to the lower lactose content (0.78%). High S/M ratio (6.4) resulted in up to 29.4, 30.3 and 29.4% increase in hardness, adhesiveness and chewiness values, respectively, and up to 7.3% decrease in meltability value in Cheddar cheese compared to low S/M ratio (4.8) during ripening.