Evaluation of low sodium Kačkavalj cheese properties using 3D scanning, scanning electron microscopy and computer vision system

Abstract

Salt reduction in food is one of the main concerns for public health agencies. Performing two-way analysis of variance, the effects of salt reduction and replacement on the pasta filata Kačkavalj cheese properties were studied during 6 months. Computer vision system is a novel method for colour evaluation. There were no differences in colour parameters L*, a* and b* (90.40–92.87, 0.07–0.60 and 11.40–18.53 respectively) and microstructure analysed by scanning electron microscopy between variants during ripening. Three-dimensional scanning revealed that low sodium variants showed lower volume reduction. Salt reduction in Kačkavalj cheese results in high quality product and contributes to consumer health.