Some properties of probiotic cheese chips dried with different drying systems

Probiotic cheese chips were produced from white cheese curd using three different drying methods (traditional; natural air drying at room temperature, microwave, and tray dryer) in this study. It was aimed at examining the effects of different drying methods on the viability of probiotic bacteria and some properties of probiotic cheese chips. Physical, chemical, textural, sensory, and microbiological analyses were carried out on the produced cheese chips. Additionally, the volatile aroma components and fatty acids of cheese chips were determined by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The titratable acidity values of probiotic cheese chips were detected between 1.14% and 2.14% during 15 days of storage. Among the samples, the highest dry matter (81.73%), hardness (444.12 N) and fracturability (-3.38 mm) values were seen in probiotic chips produced by the microwave drying method. In cheese chip samples, the difference between storage times and samples for Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5 numbers was determined to be significant (p<0.05). The Bifidobacterium bifidum BB-12 numbers of the samples were found to be between 3.65 and 6.15 log cfu/g. The highest lactacoccal bacterial viability was found in cheese chips dried using the traditional method during storage. In volatile aroma component analyses, alcohols, esters, and hydrocarbon total concentrations were determined to be higher in samples dried by the microwave method. 2,3-Butanedione Diacetyl and 3-Methyl-2-pentanone were detected at the highest levels in the samples dried with a tray dryer. The highest saturated fatty acid content in probiotic cheese chips was observed in samples dried by the microwave method. The highest total unsaturated fatty acid ratio was observed in the probiotic chip samples produced by the traditional drying method. The fatty acids detected in the highest amounts in all chip samples were Palmitic, Oleic, Myristic, Stearic, Lauric, and Linoleic acids, respectively. When the samples were evaluated from a sensory perspective, it was determined that the probiotic cheese chips produced using the tray dryer were more yellowish and chewier. In the production of cheese chips, the microwave driying method can be used to shorten the production time, have a finer structure, degree of hardness, and a yellowish color. The tray drying method can also be seen as an alternative to the traditional drying method because the probiotic bacteria viability and general acceptability scores are close to those of traditional drying, and the production time is shorter compared to the traditional method.