Plant Biotechnology Persa

en Effect of Inulin and Whey Protein Concentrate as Fat Replacer in Low-Fat Wheyless Cheese: Textural, Physicochemical, and Sensory Characteristics Phytomedicine پژوهشي Research Objective: Increasing concerns over saturated fat intake and related chronic diseases have driven the demand for reduced-fat dairy products. However, fat reduction in cheese often results in increased hardness, higher syneresis, and poorer sensory quality, necessitating the use of functional fat replacers. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of inulin and whey protein concentrate (WPC) as fat replacers in low-fat wheyless cheese and to optimize the formulation using response surface methodology (RSM). Methods: A Box-Behnken design was applied with inulin (0-5%), WPC (0-2%), and fat (5-15%) as independent variables. The responses measured included texture (hardness), syneresis, protein content, dry matter, and sensory attributes. Results: The results showed that inulin enhanced hardness and markedly decreased syneresis due to its gel-forming and water-binding capacity. WPC significantly increased protein content and contributed to improved water retention, although its effect on hardness and sensory attributes was not significant (P > 0.05). Sensory evaluation showed that formulations containing moderate inulin and adequate fat achieved high overall acceptability, particularly in mouth-feel and texture. Fat exerted the strongest effect on hardness, syneresis, and dry matter, significantly increasing matrix compactness and reducing whey separation. Dry matter ranged from 27.56% to 41.11%. The optimized formulation yielded a desirability value of 0.709, indicating a favorable balance between functional and sensory properties. Conclusion: The synergistic incorporation of inulin and WPC effectively compensates for fat reduction by improving water retention, protein content, and sensory acceptance, enabling the development of nutritionally enhanced, low-fat wheyless cheese with desirable functional properties. <img alt="" src="./files/site1/images/copuediting.png" style="width: 586px; height: 265px;" >   ,Inulin,WPC,Fat replacer,Low-fat cheese,Optimization 0 0 http://pbp.medilam.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1572-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Leila Rostami L.rostami@shomal.ac.ir 10031947532846006481 0009-0008-4304-0009 No Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, Shomal University, Amol, Iran Mehdi Naeini mehdinaeini27@gmail.com 10031947532846006482 10031947532846006482 No Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, Shomal University, Amol, Iran Ebrahim Sadeghi sadeghi@shomal.ac.ir 10031947532846006483 10031947532846006483 Yes Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Technology and Engineering, Shomal University, Amol, Iran