Effect of Rice Starch with Different Levels of Amylose Content on the Proximate Composition, Textural, and Thermal Properties of Plant-Based Cheese

Authors

  • Joh Xin Yee Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
  • Anis Asyila Marzlan Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
  • Aliah Zannierah Mohsin Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
  • Radhiah Sukri Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
  • Zulkarami Berahim Laboratory of Climate-Smart Food Crop Production, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security (ITAFoS), Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
  • Radhiahtul Raehan Mustafa Academy of Islamic Civilisation, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Teknology Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia;
  • Muhamad Hafiz Abd Rahim Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
  • Anis Shobirin Meor Hussin Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54987/jobimb.v13i2.1140

Keywords:

Cheese analogue, Dairy alternative, Palm oil, Palm milk, Starch development.

Abstract

A major challenge in formulating plant-based cheese lies in achieving the springiness and meltability of dairy cheese, and starch shows promise in fulfilling these textural roles. However, the functional properties of starch are mainly determined by its amylose and amylopectin content. This study aimed to determine the effect of rice starch with different levels of amylose content on the proximate, textural, and thermal properties of palm milk-based cheese analogue (PMCA). Palm milk was the main ingredient in the production of PMCA as a milk fat replacement, with chickpea flour as the source of protein. A total of 4 samples were produced with 0% starch as negative control (Sample A), 2% medium-amylose rice starch (B), 2% low-amylose rice starch (C), and 2% corn starch as positive control (D). Sample C exhibited significantly higher hardness and springiness while reduced melt ability as compared to Sample B and D. The PMCA had considerably high protein (9-14%) as compared to the literature (0.11-3.00%) and low fat (12-15%) content, that suggested chickpea flour and palm milk be considered as primary ingredients in high-protein with low-fat cheese analogue. Sample C demonstrated significantly higher (p<0.05) hardness and springiness with smaller specimen expansion in meltability as compared to samples B and D, supported by the analysis of scanning electron microscopy. In conclusion, low-amylose rice starch showed a better choice to be applied in plant-based cheese products to obtain mimicked textural characteristics with dairy cheese.

References

Patrick F F, Paul L H, McSweeney P L. Cheese: an overview. In: McSweeney PLH, Fox PF, Cotter PD, Everett DW, editors. Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology. 5–12. Cambridge (MA): Academic Press; 2017. http://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-417012-4.00001-3

Muñoz-Garach A, García-Fontana B, Muñoz-Torres M. Nutrients and dietary patterns related to osteoporosis. Nutrients. 2020;12(7):1–16. http://doi.org/10.3390/nu12071917

Plamada D, Teleky BE, Nemes SA, Mitrea L, Szabo K, Călinoiu LF, et al. Plant-based dairy alternatives—a future direction to the milky way. Foods. 2023;12(9):1883–1916. http://doi.org/10.3390/foods12091883

Bachmann HP. Cheese analogues: a review. Int Dairy J. 2001;11(4–7):505–515. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0958-6946(01)00063-2

Karamanoglu AB, Ucar G. Cheese analogues. Marmara Üniv J Sci. 2016;4:1–7. http://doi.org/10.14776/jsc.17429

Yap AKC. Cheese and cheese analogues. Palm Oil Eng Bull. 2011;(101):9–15.

Giha V, Ordoñez MJ, Villamil RA. How does milk fat replacement influence cheese analogue microstructure, rheology, and texture profile? J Food Sci. 2021;86(7):2802–2815. http://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15783

El Malek A, Osman SA, Younis NA. Palm kernel oil as a substitute of milk fat in Feta cheese. J Food Dairy Sci Mansoura Univ. 2019;10(2):31–35. http://doi.org/10.21608/jfds.2019.46740

Kavak DD, Karabiyik H. Quality evaluation of kashar cheese: influence of palm oil and ripening period. Food Sci Technol (Braz). 2020;40(2):354–360. http://doi.org/10.1590/fst.13219

Abd Rahim MH. Palm milk: a nutritious, sustainable and versatile plant-based alternative to coconut milk. Food Rev Int. 2025;1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2025.2473018

United States Department of Agriculture. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, Bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt. FoodData Central. 2019;173757.

Grasso N, Bot F, Roos YH, Crowley SV, Arendt EK, O’Mahony JA. The influence of protein concentration on key quality attributes of chickpea-based alternatives to cheese. Curr Res Food Sci. 2022;5:2004–2012. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2022.09.006

Kaur M, Singh N. Characterization of protein isolates from different Indian chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars. Food Chem. 2007;102(1):366–374. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.05.029

Papalamprou EM, Doxastakis GI, Biliaderis CG, Kiosseoglou V. Influence of preparation methods on physicochemical and gelation properties of chickpea protein isolates. Food Hydrocoll. 2009;23(2):337–343. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2008.02.011

Raza H, Zaaboul F, Shoaib M, Zhang L. An overview of physicochemical composition and methods used for chickpea processing. Int J Agric Res. 2019;7(5):1–9. http://doi.org/10.3923/ijar.2019.231.239

Masotti F, Cattaneo S, Stuknytė M, De Noni I. Status and developments in analogue cheese formulations and functionalities. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2018;74:158–169. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2018.01.009

Li H, Lei N, Yan S, Yang J, Yu T, Wen Y, et al. The importance of amylopectin molecular size in determining the viscoelasticity of rice starch gels. Carbohydr Polym. 2019;212:112–118. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.02.046

Tangsrianugul N, Wongsagonsup R, Suphantharika M. Physicochemical and rheological properties of flour and starch from Thai pigmented rice cultivars. Int J Biol Macromol. 2019;137:666–675. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.07.034

Ferawati F, Hefni M, Östbring K, Witthöft C. The application of pulse flours in the development of plant-based cheese analogues: proximate composition, color, and texture properties. Foods. 2021;10(9):2208. http://doi.org/10.3390/foods10092208

Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). Official Methods of Analysis. 21st ed. Washington (DC): AOAC Int; 2019.

Zheng Y, Liu Z, Mo B. Texture profile analysis of sliced cheese in relation to chemical composition and storage temperature. J Chem. 2016;2016:1–10. http://doi.org/10.1155/2016/7634289

Grasso N, Roos YH, Crowley SV, Arendt EK, O’Mahony JA. Composition and physicochemical properties of commercial plant-based block-style products as alternatives to cheese. Future Foods. 2021;4:100048. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2021.100048

Wu Y, Chen Z, Li X, Wang Z. Retrogradation properties of high-amylose rice flour and rice starch by physical modification. LWT – Food Sci Technol. 2010;43(3):492–497. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2009.09.014

Liu H, Xu XM, Guo SD. Comparison of full-fat and low-fat cheese analogues with or without pectin gel through microstructure, texture, rheology, thermal and sensory analysis. Int J Food Sci Technol. 2008;43(9):1581–1592. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2007.01750.x

Liu L, Huang G, Li S, Meng Q, Ye F, Chen J, et al. Replacement of fat with highland barley β-glucan in zein-based cheese: structural, rheological, and textural properties. Food Chem X. 2023;20:100907. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2023.100907

Lee SK, Klostermeyer H, Anema S. Effect of fat and protein-in-water concentrations on the properties of model processed cheese. Int Dairy J. 2015;50:15–23. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.idairyj.2015.06.002

International Dairy Federation (IDF). Cheese and Varieties. Part II: Cheese Styles [Internet]. Brussels: IDF; 2021 [cited 2024 Dec 16]. Available from: https://shop.fil-idf.org/products/idf-factsheet-018-2021-cheese-and-varieties-part-ii-cheese-styles

Mukherjee PK. Qualitative analysis for evaluation of herbal drugs. In: Mukherjee PK, editor. Quality Control and Evaluation of Herbal Drugs. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2019. p. 79–149. http://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-817109-7.00003-9

Leong TSH, Ong L, Gamlath CJ, Gras SL, Ashokkumar M, Martin GJO. Formation of Cheddar cheese analogues using canola oil and ultrasonication: a comparison between single and double emulsion systems. Int Dairy J. 2020;105:104683. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.idairyj.2020.104683

Dobson S, Marangoni AG. Methodology and development of a high-protein plant-based cheese alternative. Curr Res Food Sci. 2023;7:100632. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100632

Everard CD, O’Callaghan DJ, Howard TV, O’Donnell CP, Sheehan EM, Delahunty CM. Relationships between sensory and rheological measurements of texture in maturing commercial Cheddar cheese over a range of moisture and pH at the point of manufacture. J Texture Stud. 2006;37(4):361–382. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-4603.2006.00057.x

Mounsey JS, O’Riordan ED. Characteristics of imitation cheese containing native starches. J Food Sci. 2001;66(4):586–591. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2001.tb04618.x

Fu W, Nakamura T. Effects of starches on the mechanical properties and microstructure of processed cheeses with different types of casein network structures. Food Hydrocoll. 2018;79:587–595. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2017.12.025

Downloads

Published

12.12.2025

How to Cite

Yee, J. X., Marzlan, A. A. ., Mohsin, A. Z. ., Sukri, R., Berahim, Z., Mustafa, R. R. ., Rahim, M. H. A. ., & Hussin, A. S. M. (2025). Effect of Rice Starch with Different Levels of Amylose Content on the Proximate Composition, Textural, and Thermal Properties of Plant-Based Cheese. Journal of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, 13(2), 74–80. https://doi.org/10.54987/jobimb.v13i2.1140

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2 (2025)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Joh Xin Yee, Anis Asyila Marzlan, Aliah Zannierah Mohsin, Radhiah Sukri, Zulkarami Berahim, Radhiahtul Raehan Mustafa, Muhamad Hafiz Abd Rahim, Anis Shobirin Meor Hussin

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
    2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
    3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).