Thesis
A Comparative Study of The Effect of Various Gelling Agents Towards Physicochemical and SensorialProperties of Plant-Based Cheese Using Coconut Milk
PT. Sekolah Seniman Pangan (SSP) serves as a creative food entrepreneurship school and business incubation ecosystem, specifically designed to support rural youth, women, and indigenous peoples in different parts of Indonesia. During her internship, the author conducted a project which focused on developing plant-based cheese using coconut milk with various gelling agents used. Plant-based cheese is a dairy-free substitute for traditional cheese that is manufactured from plant-based materials. Gelling agents are food additives that can be added to food to create a gel-like texture. In this study, the gelling agents are used to resemble the coconut milk cheese properties from dairybased cheese. Physicochemical properties, including pH, yield texture, and moisture were analyzed along with the sensorial properties,
including color, taste, flavor, texture, aroma and overall acceptability. The coconut milk cheese was developed with the resulting final formulation consisting of 60% coconut milk, 18.75% drinking water, 1.25% gelling agents, 1% nutritional yeast, 0.38% salt, 0.31% lemon juice, and 0.16% garlic powder. There was a significant difference in terms of physicochemical and sensorial properties of coconut milk cheese. However, it does not meet consumer acceptance as the result of overall acceptability is slightly lower. Different amounts of ingredients and methods should be researched as there is still potential regarding the cheese analogues.
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