Influence of Rice Bran Oil and Rice Flours on Physicochemical Properties of a Mozzarella Cheese Analog

Abstract

The mozzarella cheese market has been growing considerably in recent years, due to the increasing demand for pizzas. Owing to the high cost of traditional mozzarella cheese and consumer preference towards healthier products, cheese analogs containing low levels of saturated fatty acid and
cholesterol can be used to make additional varieties of mozzarella cheese. The current study attempted to use rice bran oil (RBO) and rice flours in the production of milk fat-free mozzarella cheese analogs made with sodium caseinate (SCN). The SCN was physicochemically modified by lactic acid hydrolysis with limited water content (30-50%). It was found that mozzarella cheese analogs retained similar stretchability and meltability characteristics to those of commercial cheese and could be prepared by emulsifying 20% RBO in an aqueous suspension containing 16% SCN, 7.75% MSCN (4.12 mg TCA soluble peptide/g SCN), 1.25% waxy rice flour and 51% aqueous phase. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed dispersed strands of gelatinised waxy rice starch separated from the protein phase after cheese melting. The multi-phase structure thus helped control the meltability and stretchability of the mozzarella cheese analogs containing RBO. Consequently, RBO could be used to replace milk fat in cheese products.