Processed cheese as a polymer matrix composite: A particle toolkit for the replacement of milk fat with canola oil in processed cheese.

In this study, we show that the replacement of milk fat with canola oil in a model caseinate-based imitation cheese product to increase its nutritional value can be done by treating processed cheese as a particle filled gel network. Using microscopy, model imitation cheese products with different lipid phases were found to have similar microstructures where fat or oil appears as inert particle fillers in a continuous protein network. Using a texture profile analyzer, we show that the textural properties of model imitation cheese are dependent on the material properties of the inert filler.

Insights into the mechanism of the formation of the most stable crystal polymorph of milk fat in model protein matrices.

The effect of incorporation and presence of various ingredients in a model sodium caseinate-based imitation cheese matrix on the polymorphism of milk fat was comprehensively described using powder x-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and microscopy. With anhydrous milk fat (AMF) in bulk used as control, the embedding of AMF as droplets in a protein matrix was found to result in a greater extent of formation of the β polymorph than AMF alone and AMF homogenized with water and salts solution. The use of other protein matrices such as soy and whey protein isolate gels revealed that the nature of the protein and other factors associated with it (i.

Structure and functionality of nanostructured triacylglycerol crystal networks.

In this review, recent advances in the characterization of the nanoscale structure of fat crystal networks are outlined. The effect of different factors on the properties of crystalline nanoplatelets (CNPs) is comprehensively described. These are discussed together with the observed changes in polymorphism and micro- or mesostructural properties so as to have a complete understanding of the influence of different internal and external factors on the material properties of fats.