Mineral fortification modifies physical and microstructural characteristics of milk gels coagulated by a bacterial enzymatic pool

Fil: Lombardi, Julia. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; Argentina Fil: Lombardi, Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Pellegrino, José Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; Argentina Fil: Pellegrino, José Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Fisiología Experimental; Argentina Fil: Soazo, Marina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; Argentina Fil: Soazo, Marina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Soazo, Marina. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentina Fil: Folmer Corrêa, Ana Paula. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos. Laboratório de Bioquimica e Microbiologia Aplicada; Brasil Fil: Brandelli, Adriano. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos. Laboratório de Bioquimica e Microbiologia Aplicada; Brasil Fil: Risso, Patricia H. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; Argentina Fil: Risso, Patricia H. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Risso, Patricia H. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Argentina Fil: Boeris, Valeria. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; Argentina Fil: Boeris, Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Boeris, Valeria. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina. Facultad de Química e Ingeniería del Rosario; Argentina Abstract: An enzymatic pool from the Amazonian bacterium Bacillus sp. P7 was used as milk coagulant. Discovery of novel coagulants is of great interest in dairy industry for the development of new textures in cheese. Color, mechanical and microstructural characterization of milk gels induced by the bacterial enzymatic pool was carried out. Effect of mineral fortification on these characteristics was studied. Whiter gels with smaller pore diameters were obtained in the presence of Ca2+ or Mg2+. These characteristics seemed to be influenced by the effect of ionic strength on casein structure which was also evidenced by digital texture features analysis. On the other hand, specific affinity of the assayed cations for milk proteins showed to be important in the development of the mechanical texture of the gels. Firmness and fracture force of milk gels obtained in the presence of Zn2+ or Ca2+ were higher than in the presence of Mg2+ and Na2+.