Danish food ingredients firm Chr. Hansen has developed a salt-reducing solution that allows cheese manufacturers to reduce sodium levels by up to 50% while retaining taste and texture properties.
The SaltLite concept is a combination of Chr. Hansen's existing DVS starter and adjunct cultures and CHY-MAX M cheese coagulants. Chr. Hansen stated that the cultures help to preserve the taste of the product when cutting salt levels, while the cheese coagulants enhance texture and reduce bitterness.
In addition, SaltLite contains only natural ingredients already used in the manufacture of cheese.
Chr. Hansen dairy enzymes marketing manager Timothy Wallace said that reducing sodium levels in cheese could have an adverse impact on taste, texture and shelf life.
"Commercial attempts to reduce salt in cheese have been largely unsuccessful due to poor product quality. Although consumers desire healthier foods, most are unwilling to trade quality for health," Wallace added.
Designed to reduce sodium levels in cheddar and continental cheese products, SaltLite is an outcome of a Kirsten Kastberg Moeller's PhD project carried out in collaboration between Chr. Hansen and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. In her PhD work, Kastberg Moeller evaluated the scope of adapting the existing cheese-making technology, by modifying process parameters and extending functionalities of added lactic acid bacteria and coagulant, to improve the flavor and texture of cheddar cheese with a 50% reduced sodium level.
