Effect of inulin/kefiran on the physicochemical, sensorial and textural properties of Mozzarella cheese

 Production and consumption Increased consumption of ready-to-eat foods such as pizzas and reduced daily physical activity has increased the need to reduce calories and dietary fat. In this study, the effect of adding inulin at concentrations of 6 and 7% and kefir at concentrations of 0.6 and 0.7% was investigated and physicochemical tests, color parameters and textural properties of cheese affected by the addition of inulin / Kefirs were examined. The results showed that in the sample with a ratio of inulin to kefir of 10: 1 had the most change in acidity and pH, while increasing the amount of kefir had no effect on acidity, which could be due to the neutral structure of kefir polysaccharide. In the study of cheese dry matter, the addition of inulin / kefir did not show a significant effect on the results (P <0.05). In contrast, the melting area was the highest in the control sample and the lowest in sample B (the lowest ratio of inulin to kefir). In other words, the addition of inulin / kefir did not show any effect on the melting area of the cheese. In examining the color characteristics of mozzarella cheese, by changing the level of inulin to kefir, no change in brightness, a* and b* was observed. However, in general color changes, the most change were observed in sample A and the least color change was observed in control. Also, the addition of inulin and kefir did not have a significant effect on the organoleptic and textural properties of mozzarella cheese. Therefore, it is possible to use this combination in the formulation of mozzarella cheese without making undesirable changes in the product