Impact of curd washing and beta cyclodextrin on the reduction of cholesterol contents in ewe's milk cheese

Beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) is a cyclic oligosaccharide composed of seven glucose units. The utilization of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in the field of food research has been on the trend, primarily for its ability to reduce cholesterol levels. This can be attributed to β-CD's strong attraction to nonpolar compounds, including cholesterol. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of curd washing in ewe's milk cheese on the reduction of cholesterol by β-CD in pasteurized ewe's milk Manchego cheese, specifically focusing on the primary constituents of milk, lipids, and flavor characteristics. A significant reduction of approximately 98.45% in cholesterol levels was observed in the experimental cheeses subjected to treatment with β-CD. The remaining β-CD exhibited significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between the curd washing and non-curd washing conditions, with values of 0.51% and 0.27%, respectively. The physicochemical properties, specifically fat, moisture, and protein content, were not observed to be significantly affected by the process of curd washing, regardless of the presence or absence of β-CD. However, slight differences were observed in the levels of soluble nitrogen and non-protein nitrogen because of the treatment. The lipid fraction of fatty acids, triglycerides, and phospholipids exhibited comparable quantities in both the treated and untreated cheese samples, as influenced by curd washing and the presence or absence of β-CD. The influence of β-CD on flavor compounds and short chain free fatty acids was not found to be statistically significant for most compounds. However, 3 methyl butanal and ethanol were the only compounds that exhibited a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) observed in the sensory attributes, including flavor, aroma, color, and acceptability, between the curd washing treatments with or without β-CD. However, a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) was observed in texture between the two treatments. The β-CD molecules are edible and nontoxic in nature, making them suitable for use in the safe processing of cholesterol removal in cheese manufacturing. The reduction of residual β-CD can be improved by implementing curd washing, resulting in a 47% decrease. Hence, the current investigation points out that the implementation of curd washing proved to be an efficacious technique for the reduction of cholesterol in Manchego cheese while maintaining its inherent qualities. The methodology employed for the treatment of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was implemented.The authors thanks to the Ministry of Science and Innovation from Spain (grant number PDC2021- 121528-I00, PID2020-114821RB-I00).Peer reviewe