Gel-brine study finds selected 2% salt cheeses remain intact

Selected low-salt white cheeses made with gel brine remained intact through 90 days of refrigerated storage, according to a food-production experiment. Two formulations that survived the full storage period contained 2% salt in their brine: one with 3% gelatin and another with 1% carrageenan gum. Researchers also reported that these cheeses were sensorially appreciated.

The study found that some other low-salt samples melted before storage ended, showing that the outcomes depended on the particular formulation rather than on gel brine alone. The researchers prepared brines in gel form by adding thickeners or gelling stabilizers to the salting solution. Xanthan gum and carrageenan gum were tested at 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%, while pectin and gelatin were tested at 1.0%, 2.0% and 3.0%.

These stabilizers were combined with salt concentrations of 2.0%, 4.0% or 6.0%. The comparison group consisted of brines without stabilizers at the same three salt levels. The gel-brine technique itself involves increasing the viscosity of cheese-salting brine with selected thickening and gelling stabilizers.

Among cheeses produced with gel brine, dry matter ranged from 28.26% to 44.81%, salt content ranged from 0.79% to 3.45%, and water activity ranged from 0.92 to 0.93. On the L* color scale, the cheeses ranged from 71.82 to 94.59. Total yeast-and-mold counts ranged from 1.0 to 6.7 log cfu/g.

The reported measurements varied across formulations. Because some samples melted during storage, not every cheese could be assessed on days 60 and 90; the cheeses described as remaining intact were the two formulations containing 2% salt, 3% gelatin and 1% carrageenan gum, respectively. Complete melting affected the control samples, preventing their analyses on days 60 and 90.

Some other cheeses also failed to remain intact for the entire storage period, which the researchers associated with the very low salt levels in the gel brines. Despite those failures, the intact samples demonstrated that white cheese with a relatively low-salt brine could retain its form and texture in its packaging under the tested conditions. The scope of the experiment was limited: cheeses were produced in duplicate, stored at one temperature, and tested using a defined set of stabilizer and salt combinations.

The findings therefore establish the result for the reported formulations and storage conditions without determining how the technique would perform across different recipes, packaging systems, temperatures or production scales.

Subject of Research: Physicochemical, color and microbiological evaluation of white cheese produced with gel brines

Article Title: Production of white cheese using the gel brine technique and determination of its physicochemical, color, and microbiological properties using multivariate statistical analyses

Article References: Çavuş, M., Yetim, H., & Cankurt, H. (2026). Production of white cheese using the gel brine technique and determination of its physicochemical, color, and microbiological properties using multivariate statistical analyses. Frontiers in Nutrition, 13, Article 1930095. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2026.1930095

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2026.1930095

Keywords: gel brine, white cheese, low-salt cheese, food stabilizers, gelatin, carrageenan gum, xanthan gum, pectin, water activity, food microbiology, Production, white