## 1 Introduction  
Salt (NaCl) is the primary source of sodium in the human diet. Its high consumption has been linked to hypertension and, consequently, an increased risk of stroke and premature death due to cardiovascular diseases [1; 2]. Reducing sodium chloride intake represents one of the most important goals for advancing public health worldwide [2]. The maximum recommended daily intake of salt is 5 g per day, equivalent to 2 g of sodium per day [3]. However, approximately 80% of the ingested salt is added to food during manufacturing [4; 5]. Cheese is perceived as a highly concentrated food source of sodium [6]. Therefore, importance should be given to reducing salt intake in this dairy product. Sodium reduction in cheese is complex and challenging due to salt's multifunctional behavior in the product [5]. It could be achieved by reducing NaCl's amount in the product or using substitutes for mineral salts such as potassium chloride (KCl) [7; 8; 9]. The addition of KCl in cheeses has given good results concerning the rheological, textural, sensory, and stability properties of the product, and it has been considered a salt compound chemically similar to NaCl when compared to other substitute salts, such as CaCl\({}_{2}\) and MgCl\({}_{2}\)[6; 8; 9; 10]. In addition, the dietary intake of KCl can decrease the effect of sodium-induced hypertension and can reduce calcium excretion in the urine [6]. However, completely replacing NaCl with KCl is not recommended because the latter gives food a bitter taste [11; 12]. Reducing the salt content in cheeses accelerates protein hydration, significantly influencing the cheese's physical properties and quality [5; 10; 13]. [PERSON] et al. (2003) [14] indicated that the cheese's texture would generally remain smooth even when the moisture content is adjusted to the typical sodium content. The texture is also influenced by the chemical composition of the cheeses and the manufacturing process. Some studies have even attempted to manufacture reduced-salt cheese by standard methods and have confirmed that moisture retention increases with salt reduction in cheese [5; 9]. In Colombia, the costeno-type cheese is one of the fresh artisan cheeses made on the Colombian Caribbean coast, characterized by its high salt content from approximately 10% (_w/w_) [15; 16; 17]. Consequently, it leads to increased hardness and dryness [13]. Costeno-type cheese is considered crumbly, allowing it to be crushed and sprinkled on food [17]. Considering that the potential reduction of NaCl depends on many factors associated with the nature of the product--its composition, the type of processing, and the manufacturing conditions [6]--it is crucial when varying salt concentrations to understand the interactions existing between the production process, the cheese properties, and the product. Studies have been carried out on the rheological, textural, and microstructural properties of cheeses, but many were limited to the analysis of product-property relationships [18] and product-process [5] without considering the relationship as a whole (product-process-property). Multiscale modeling visualizes food structure at various scales, creating a geometric model that predicts macroscale behavior consistent with the structure of matter at underlying scales without requiring excessive computing resources [19]. This methodology allows an understanding of the link between the macroscopic and microscopic properties of cheese. This method has also been used in other studies and has produced promising results [20; 21]. Reducing the NaCl content in the costeno-type cheese may reduce salt consumption in the country. However, there is no information on the existing phenomenology when making a costeno-type cheese with low salt concentrations or a NaCl substitute. We hypothesized that by increasing the cooking temperature during the cheese-making procedure, one could reduce the curd's moisture content. This is because higher temperatures increase hydrophobic interactions, causing more syneresis and contraction of the curd.