Evaluation of Chemical Composition, Digestibility, Antioxidant Activity and Sensory Characteristics of Soft Cheese Made with Kidney Bean Milk

This work aimed to produce soft cheese using different ratios of Phaseolus vulgaris kidney
bean milk (KBM) and cow milk and evaluating their Chemical, in-vitro digestibility, antioxidant,
and organoleptic characteristics.
Cheeses were prepared using cow milk with varying levels of KBM (T1 control, T2 5%, T3
10%, T4 15%, T5 20%, T6 30%, T7 40% and T8 50%). The preliminary sensory evaluation
excluded treatments from T6 to T8, Then the selected treatment was analyzed for physicochemical
properties, digestibility, and antioxidant properties; sensory evaluation was also conducted.
The addition of KBM resulted in a significant increase in cheese acidity, and protein,
antioxidant scavenging capacity while fat, water holding capacity and cheese yield were decreased.
Among the tested samples, T5 exhibited the highest antioxidant properties. However, increasing the
kidney bean milk levels (KBM) was linked to a decrease in consumer acceptability.
In conclusion, processing soft cheese by substituting 10% KBM was the most acceptable
treatment and achieved satisfactory results in chemical, digestibility, and antioxidant properties,
which introduced an innovative soft cheese that includes a plant origin that may be probable for
vegetarian consumers. While a 10% kidney bean milk substitution may not be sufficient for
complete lactose intolerance management, cheese typically contains low lactose levels and is
unlikely to trigger lactose intolerance