Production of functional low-fat cheese with milk fat substitution by walnut or linseed powders

Full-fat cheese (FFC) contains high amounts of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol، which have been known as a risk factor for health، particularly in cardiovascular diseases. Low-fat cheeses have problems such as undesirable flavor، texture and sensorial properties. In this study، functional low-fat white brined cheeses were made from bovine skim milk containing walnut (5، 10 or 15% w/w of curd) or linseed (1، 2 or 3% w/w of curd) powders and a full-fat cheese (control sample). Physicochemical properties، lipolysis patterns، total fatty acids، total count of lactic acid bacteria، sensorial properties were evaluated during 80 days of storage at intervals of 20 days. Results showed that low-fat white brined cheese containing walnut or linseed powders had significantly (P<0. 05) lower amounts of saturated fatty acids and higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids compared to FFC. Lipolysis index increased in all samples during ripening (P<0. 05) and the control cheese had lower lipolysis value than the cheeses containing walnut or linseed powders at the end of ripening period (80 days) (P<0. 05). Number of Lactococcus bacteria increased during 40 days of ripening but then decreased slightly، whereas number of Lactobacillus bacteria was different between all the cheese samplesduring ripening. Sensory properties of fortified cheeses were different (P<0. 05) compared with control sample; the cheese containing 15% walnut powder or 1% linseed powder was more acceptable than the control sample. In conclusion، results obtained showed the possibility of making healthy and functional low-fat white brined cheese with walnut or linseed powders with increased sensory scores and high amounts of unsaturated fatty acids.