Can we lower the salt in cheeses?

What is it about?

Cheeses from Azores with varying curd dry salting treatments were made with decreasing levels of salt (sodium chloride). The cheeses were ripened at 11 °C over a 40-day period, and the effect of lowering salt on the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties of the cheese was studied. Reduced salt resulted in a concomitant moisture decrease with protein increase, ash and sodium reduction among experimental cheeses at the same ripening day, but there were no significant differences in pH, acidity and fat, or in the microbiological quality. Triangle tests indicated perceptible differences between test and control cheeses at the level of 2% NaCl (w/w) or less, but not with the cheese salted with 3 g NaCl/100 g. Considering the sensory, the physicochemical and the microbiological results, the cheese formulated at 3% NaCl (w/w) (presenting a reduction of 25% in salt) is feasible on an industrial scale, being indistinguishable by the regular consumer.

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Why is it important?

Salt reduction is important once high levels in food is causing health problems. But this reduction is technologically difficult once salt has also technological functions.

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