Effect of cholesterol-reduced and zinc fortification treatments on physicochemical, functional, textural, microstructural and sensory properties of soft cheese

The aim of this study was to produce and evaluate a soft cheese fortified with zinc and with cholesterol-reduced content. To meet this objective, a cream base was prepared, from which cholesterol was removed using b-cyclodextrin as extracting agent. Then, cholesterol-reduced content cheese with and without the addition of zinc salts (ZnSO4 or ZnCl2) was produced. Additionally, a cheese without any treatment was prepared. Furthermore, physicochemical, textural, functional, microstructural and sensory determinations were performed. As a result, 87–94% zinc-fortified and 93% cholesterol-reduced cheese samples were obtained, which had similar sensorial characteristics to the cheese without treatment.