Composition and Sensory Attributes of Retail Cheddar Cheese with Different Fat Contents

The objective of the study was to compare retail samples of Cheddar cheeses of varying fat content for composition, proteolysis and sensory characteristics. The cheeses were arbitrarily categorized into three groups based on fat content, namely full-fat (30–36% w/w), reduced-fat (19.5–24% w/w) and half-fat (13–18% w/w). There was large intra-fat category variation for composition and degree of proteolysis. Fat level significantly influenced composition but did not significantly influence the mean levels of primary or secondary proteolysis. The descriptive attributes “creamy”, “buttery” distinguished full-fat cheeses from both reduced-fat and half-fat cheeses.