Lactic Acid Bacteria in Cheddar Cheese Made with Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride or Mixtures of the Two Salts.

Three different split lots of Cheddar cheese curd were prepared with added sodium chloride (NaCl) potassium chloride (KCl) or mixtures of NaCl/KCl (2:1 1:1 1:2 and 3:4 all on wt/wt basis) to achieve a final salt concentration of 1.5 or 1.75%. At intervals during ripening at 3±1°C samples were plated with All-Purpose Tween (APT) and Lactobacillus Selection (LBS) agar. Isolates were obtained of bacteria that predominated on the agar media. In the first trial ( Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis plus L. lactis subsp. cremoris served as starter cultures) L. lactis subsp. lactis Lactobacillus casei and other lactobacilli were the predominant bacteria regardless of the salting treatment Received by the cheese. In the second trial ( L. lactis subsp. lactis served as the starter culture) unclassified lactococci L. lactis subsp. lactis unclassified lactobacilli and L. casei predominated regardless of the salting treatment given the cheese. In the third trial ( L. lactis subsp. cremoris served as the starter culture) unclassified lactococci unclassified lactobacilli L. casei and Pediococcus cerevisiae predominated regardless of the salting treatment applied to the cheese Thus use of KCl to replace some of the NaCl for salting cheese had no detectable effect on the kinds of lactic acid bacteria that developed in ripening Cheddar cheese.

Microflora of Cheddar Cheese Made with Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, or Mixtures of Sodium and Potassium Chloride.

Cheddar cheese samples from three different split lots of cheese curd were prepared with added NaCl, KCl, or mixtures of NaCl/KCl (2:1, 1:1, 1:2 and 3:4, all on wt/wt basis) to achieve a final salt concentration of 1.5 or 1.75%. Cheeses were stored at 3 ± 1°C and their microbiological characteristics were evaluated over a 36-week ripening period. Populations of aerobic microorganisms, lactic acid bacteria, nonstarter lactic acid bacteria, aerobic spores, coliforms, and yeasts and molds in cheeses made with KCl or NaCl/KCl mixtures were not significantly (P>0.05) different from those of control cheeses made with NaCl. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were not detected in any of the test or control cheeses.

Reducing the Sodium Content of Foods: A Review.

Salt (sodium chloride), a substance essential for life processes, is the second most-used food additive. It is added to foods as a flavoring or flavor enhancing agent, a preservative, or an ingredient responsible for desired functional properties in certain products. Excessive dietary sodium is believed to contribute to hypertension and development of cardiovascular disease which afflicts ca. 60 million Americans. During the last decade the food industry has responded to the dietary needs of Americans concerned with consuming sodium by providing processed foods free of added salt or with reduced amounts of sodium and other foods in which some or all of the salt has been replaced by a salt substitute. Common salt substitutes, including potassium chloride, certain herbs, spices, organic acids, autolyzed yeast products, and hydrolyzed vegetable protein products alone or in combination, if used properly, can result in products that are consumer-acceptable. Commercially available foods with less than the normal amount of salt include natural cheeses, pasteurized process cheeses, cottage cheese, butter, buttermilk, ice cream, cured meat products, fresh sausages, cereal products, vegetables, salad dressing, smoked fish, fish sauces, soy sauce, and miso.