Double emulsions fortified with plant and milk proteins as fat replacers in cheese

The aim of this work is to investigate the possibility of producing low-fat cheddar cheeses using double emulsions, enriched with milk or vegetable proteins. Primary w/o emulsions were produced by dissolving various proteins as aqueous phase. An increase of the protein concentration led emulsions with smaller droplet size (down to 128 nm). Three low fat (LF) cheeses containing double emulsions enriched with proteins were produced. The addition of whey protein in the inner aqueous phase of the double emulsion, led to a decrease of fat, from 17% (LF) to 15.8% (WPI), and salt in cheese. The cheese with the double emulsions showed lower hardness, and oil loss compared to the LF cheddar cheeses. The proposed fat-based emulsions with high encapsulation efficiencies of protein could have potential applications in many dairy and other food products.