Physicochemical Properties of Tomato Paste Fortified Functional Cheddar Cheese

Putri Ramadhany (Universitas Katolik Parahyangan)
Anastasia Prima Kristijarti (Universitas Katolik Parahyangan)
Graciella Lorenz Susanto (Universitas Katolik Parahyangan)
Geraldo Prajna (Universitas Katolik Parahyangan)

Food ScienTech Journal
Vol 5, No 1 (2023)

The aim of this research is to fortify cheddar cheese’s nutritional value by adding tomato paste. This study transformed ultra-heat treatment (UHT) milk into cheese through cheddaring. Tomato paste was added at 5 g/L, 10 g/L, and 15 g/L during the first curd formation, together with calcium chloride (CaCl2). The type of rennet (animal and microbial) was varied at 0.25 ml/L of milk. Ripening was done in one month at 4°C. According to this study, animal rennet formed curd better than microbial rennet. The addition of tomato paste slightly decreases the curd formation, with approximately 0.37 % reduction per 5 gram of tomato paste. Increasing tomato paste to 15 g/L would increase lycopene to 0.993 – 0.996 mg/100 g. The cheese produced was categorized as extra-hard and low-fat based on the percentage of Moisture Non-Fat Basis (MNFS) and Fat on Dry Matter (FDM). The addition of tomato paste reduced the pH value, resulting in increased firmness and hardness and decreased chewiness and springiness.