Study of the keeping quality of cheese dip stored in PET Bottles: Sensory, physicochemical, textural and microbiological aspects

Abstract

: This study aimed to evaluate the storage stability of novel cheese dip (CD) and cheese dip with spices (SCD) stored in PET bottles at refrigeration temperature (4±1°C). The change in quality attributes in terms of sensory, chemico-physical (pH, acidity, thiobarbituric acid (TBA), acid degree value (ADV) and color (L*, a*, b*) textural and microbiological (total plate count, coliform and yeast and mold) were studied at an interval of 10 days. Also, linear regression models were developed to correlate the changes in attributes with storage time. Keeping quality of both CD and SCD decreased over the period of time. An increase in firmness, SPC, YM, TBA, and ADV was observed for both the samples, whereas pH, adhesiveness, and sensory scores decreased. On day 30, SCD exhibited significantly lower acidity, ADV, TBA, tyrosine, and microbial count than the CD. Also, the sensory scores of SCD were significantly higher compared to CD. Linear regression equations between days and quality attributes showed a determination coefficient (R 2 ) >0.85. This study clearly shows that keeping the quality of cheese dip depends on the composition and ingredients used for its manufacturing. In conclusion, the spoilage of CD is mainly accompanied by an increase in acidity due to the growth of microorganisms responsible for decreased sensory scores and changes in textural properties of the product. Accordingly, the heating time-temperature combination can be altered to further improve the keeping quality of the product at refrigeration temperature.