Cheese may soon contain sesame protein

Monday, 12 July 2010 10:35

Food scientists at the Agricultural University of China in Beijing and Missouri State University in the USA have produced a soft cheese product containing a proportion of sesame protein isolate in place of more expensive milk proteins.

Cheese formulated with eight percent sesame protein isolate showed the best overall characteristics, with low or high levels of sesame protein producing hard, gummy cheese, or cheese with a poor texture, respectively.

While the product may prove popular for the new generation of cheese lovers in China, it may cause additional hazards for consumers who are allergic to sesame as they are unlikely to expect the novel use of sesame in cheese. This will become an increased hazard if the use of sesame protein becomes more widespread and is included in cheese products that are used as ingredients of other foods.

Study reference: Lu et al. 2010. International Journal of Food Science & Technology. Vol 45(7), pp. 1368-1377