Production and characterisation of reduced-fat and PUFA-enriched Burrata cheese

• Published in: Journal of dairy research 2016-05, Vol.83 (2), p.236-241
• Main Authors: Trani, Antonio, Gambacorta, Giuseppe, Gomes, Tommaso F., Loizzo, Pasqua, Cassone, Angela, Faccia, Michele
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Carthamus tinctorius; Caseins - analysis; Cattle; Cheese - analysis; Dairy products; Dietary Fats - analysis; Dry matter; Energy Intake; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified - analysis; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated - administration & dosage; Female; Food Handling - methods; Food, Fortified - analysis; Italy; Linseed Oil; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Safflower Oil; Sensation; Water - analysis
• ISSN: 0022-0299; 1469-7629
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022029916000078

Burrata is an Italian fresh ‘pasta filata’ cheese made from cow's milk and cream that is rapidly spreading in Europe. It has very high caloric content, and a technological protocol was developed for producing a reduced-fat type and fortifying it with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of vegetable origin. A satisfactory reduced-fat prototype was obtained by using a 14% fat cream, which was specifically developed by diluting double cream with a suspension of carob seed flour. The composition of the new cheese changed with respect to the control, but the sensory characteristics were not impaired. Moisture increased from 62·6 to 68·4%, fat on dry matter decreased from 59·1 to 34·7%, and the caloric content decreased from 1060·8 to 718 J/100 g. Proteolysis and lipolysis were not affected by the technological modifications: after 7 d storage, the electrophoretic pattern of caseins and the free fatty acids profile of experimental and control cheeses were not significantly different. Fortification of reduced-fat Burrata with PUFA was obtained by using two commercial formulates available at a compatible price with the current economic values of the cheese. The two formulates derived from flaxseeds and Carthamus tinctorius oil and allowed enrichment in C18 :3 : n3 (α-linolenic acid, ALA), and 9cis,11trans- and 10trans,12cis- conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), respectively. Fortification was easy to perform under a technical point of view, but the negative sensory impact limited fortification at a maximum of 7·0 mg g-1 fat ALA and 6·8 g-1 fat CLA.