Possibilities of increasing the potassium content of processed cheese spread.

In commercial processed cheese spreads produced from a mixture of ripening chesses and fresh white cheese, the concentration of potassium is very low and constitutes ca. 20% of sodium content. In the human body, potassium influences water metabolism, myoneural excitability and affects a decrease in blood pressure. The desirable ratio of sodium and potassium in a diet should reach 0.5 for children and 0.6 for adults. Therefore, for quality reasons, it is advisable to increase the concentration of potassium in the above-mentioned products. The study demonstrated the possibility of increasing the concentration of potassium in processed cheese spreads up to 50-70% of sodium content through the addition of potassium chloride or dietetic salt with an increased content of potassium in the mixture before melting. In the industrial production of processed cheese spreads, the addition of potassium chloride is the most favorable method for increasing potassium content of these products, but potassium content may be also increased through use of a fluxing agent with an increased concentration of potassium salts or dietetic salt containing potassium chloride.