Effect of Transglutaminase on Yield, Compositional and Functional Properties of Low-fat Cheddar Cheese

The effect of transglutaminase (TG) on the yield, composition, proteolysis and functional properties of low-fat Cheddar cheese were investigated. By adding TG, the protein, fat recoveries and the yield of low-fat cheese were improved significantly. In addition, owing to the increase in moisture content, the degree of proteolysis of the TG-treated low-fat cheese was higher than that of untreated cheese during the first 15 days, and the hardness was also reduced significantly during early ripening. On the other hand, the additional covalent cross-linking catalyzed by TG had a slight adverse effect on the proteolysis during later ripening and resulted in a harder texture and lower meltability than the low-fat cheese without TG. In conclusion, TG is promising for increasing the yield and improving the texture properties of low-fat cheese, which makes it very beneficial for the cheese making.