Estimation of the effect of the combinations of sodium phosphates on hardness of the model processed cheese by fuzzy logics

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the dependence of hardness of processed cheese spreads on the composition of binary mixtures containing disodium hydrogenphosphate, tetrasodium diphosphate, pentasodium triphosphate, and/or sodium salt of polyphosphate using advanced statistical models. Eleven percentage ratios were applied in each of the 6 types of binary mixtures. The study was focused on finding of suitable models in order to describe the dependence of hardness on the composition of binary mixtures. These models use fuzzy sets - especially as Fuzzy Inference System. Fuzzy inference system is able to identify possible nonlinear dependence between input variables and output variables in process. It can also work with data described in vague terms. In mixtures of polyphosphate with the other phosphates studied, hardness was increasing with the rising amount of polyphosphates within the mixture. In binary mixtures of monophosphate with diphosphate or triphosphate, a rapid grow in sample rigidity was determined when the amount of diphosphate or triphosphate in the mixture was rising (up to 40-60%). A further increase in diphosphate or triphosphate concentration (above 50 - 60%) resulted in a drop in rigidity of processed cheeses. Hardness of samples was increased during 30-day storage.