Karakteristik Kimia, Fisik, dan Sensoris Keju Oles Nabati Campuran Keju Edamame dan Puree Ubi Jalar Kuning.

Abstract

Edamame (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) and yellow sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) were utilized to develop a plant-based spreadable cheese as an alternative to conventional dairy cheese for lactose-intolerant and vegetarian consumers. One of the major challenges in plant-based cheese development is its poor textural properties, as plant proteins have limited ability to form a stable gel network comparable to casein. Therefore, yellow sweet potato puree was incorporated as a natural starch source to improve product structure, enhance water retention, reduce syneresis, and increase spreadability while simultaneously contributing functional compounds. This study evaluated the effects of different ratios of edamame cheese curd and yellow sweet potato puree on the chemical, physical, and sensory properties of spreadable cheese, and determined the optimal formulation. Parameters evaluated included moisture, fat, protein, reducing sugar, total titratable acidity, antioxidant activity, spreadability, texsture analyzed, and sensory attributes. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test and the Kruskal–Wallis test followed by Dunn’s test (α = 0.05). The ratio of edamame cheese curd to yellow sweet potato puree significantly affected all evaluated parameters (p < 0.05). Increasing the proportion of edamame cheese curd increased moisture, protein, fat, total titratable acidity, and antioxidant activity, whereas increasing the proportion of yellow sweet potato puree increased reducing sugar content. The optimal formulation based on the de Garmo test is F4 (70:30) with a spreadability 5.5 cm, moisture content 82.02%, fat content 0.3950% (by weight), protein content 4.279%, reducing sugar content 0.4532%, total acidity 0.3159%, and the highest antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ 48.21 ppm) with a hardness of 0.5657±0.0430 N and good spreadability, making it suitable as a plant-based spreadable cheese. These findings highlight the potential of edamame- and yellow sweet potato-based spreadable cheese as a plant-based functional food utilizing local ingredients.