Effect of Potassium Chloride and Potassium-Based Emulsifying Salts as a Salt (Sodium chloride) Replacer on the Chemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Pasteurized Process Cheese

The consumption of sodium in excessive amount may lead to heart disease, which is the first leading cause of death in the United States. Process cheese is one of the high salt containing milk products. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of potassium chloride (KCl) and potassium based emulsifying salts as a salt (NaCl) replacer on the chemical and microbiological characteristics of pasteurized process cheese. The Treatment 1 and Treatment 2 samples of process cheese were made using the potassium chloride (KCl) and a mixture of 50 % of potassium chloride and 50 % of sodium chloride (NaCl+KCl). The control sample of processed cheese was made using the sodium chloride (NaCl) only. The process cheese samples were analyzed for chemical and microbiological characteristics such as fat, moisture, pH, salt, meltability, protein, total plate counts, coliform counts, and yeast and mold counts. The results of fat content, moisture content, pH and meltability of process cheese samples were not statistically significant different, but the sample of process cheese made using the potassium chloride (KCl) had higher protein content than the control and Treatment 2. In the results of microbiological analysis, control had the lowest number of microbial counts followed by Treatment 2 (NaCl+KCl) and Treatment 1 (KCl). In conclusion, potassium chloride had high possibility to use as a salt replacer without changing the chemical properties, but it has limited ability to produce process cheese with same shelf life as sodium chloride.