Fuzzy and regression approach to estimating the cheese consistency changes influenced by a substitution of emulsifying agents in the mixture

Abstract

This paper aims to study the dependence of the hardness of processed cheese spreads on the composition of binary mixtures of phosphate emulsifying salts consisting of disodium hydrogenphosphate, tetrasodium diphosphate, pentasodium triphosphate, and/or sodium salt of polyphosphate and on the number of days of storage. The main goal was to find suitable statistical models in order to describe the dependence of the hardness examined on the composition of binary mixtures. Polynomial regression proved to be suitable for the global behaviour of the statistical relationship observed. Detailed observation of local changes was made by means of a fuzzy inference system. In binary mixtures of polyphosphate combined with monophosphate, diphosphate or triphosphate, hardness was gradually increasing with rising amount of polyphosphate in the mixture. In binary mixtures of monophosphate combined with diphosphate or triphosphate, a rapid increase in the hardness of the samples was determined when the proportion of diphosphate or triphosphate in the mixture was rising up to 50-60 %. A further increase in diphosphate or triphosphate content in the binary mixture (above 60 %) resulted in a similarly rapid decrease in the hardness of the processed cheeses.