Use of Fat Blends in Cheese Analogs: Influence on Sensory and Instrumental Textural Characteristics

Cheese analogs were prepared with the fat fraction composed of butterfat, soybean fat or soybean oil and their blends, in accordance with an experimental design of three components. The ten resulting formulations were subjected to a texture profile instrumental analysis and sensory analysis by a quantitative ranking test. Principal Component Analysis showed that the instrumental textural characteristics of hardness and adhesiveness were negatively correlated to cohesiveness and springiness, while the sensory texture characteristic of firmness was correlated negatively with elasticity and creaminess. Soybean fat confers hardness and adhesiveness to the cheese analogs, but decreases their cohesiveness and springiness, while the opposite effect is due to soybean oil and butterfat.