Karakteristik Mikrobiologis Whey Keju dengan Koagulan Enzim Rennet dan Ekstrak Jahe Merah (Zingiber officinale var.rubrum)

Abstract

Whey merupakan hasil samping keju yang kaya nutrien dan bakteri asam laktat (BAL), sehingga berpotensi dimanfaatkan sebagai bahan baku pangan fungsional. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis pengaruh penggunaan koagulan rennet sapi dan ekstrak jahe merah terhadap karakteristik mikrobiologis whey. Penelitian menggunakan dua perlakuan, yaitu koagulasi dengan rennet sapi (P1) dan ekstrak jahe merah (P2), masing-masing tiga ulangan. Parameter yang diamati meliputi total plate count (TPC), total BAL, dan morfologi isolat BAL. Data dianalisis menggunakan independent t-test. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa P2 menghasilkan nilai TPC lebih rendah dibandingkan P1, sedangkan total BAL tidak berbeda nyata. Isolat dari P1 didominasi sel berbentuk basil Gram positif, sedangkan P2 didominasi sel berbentuk kokus Gram positif. Dengan demikian, penggunaan ekstrak jahe merah sebagai koagulan menekan jumlah mikroorganisme total tanpa menurunkan populasi BAL, sehingga berpotensi menjadi alternatif koagulan dalam pembuatan keju dengan karakteristik mikrobiologis whey yang baik.

Whey is a by-product of cheese production that is rich in nutrients and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), making it a potential raw material for functional food products. This study aimed to analyze the effect of using calf rennet and red ginger (Zingiber officinale var. rubrum) extract as coagulants on the microbiological characteristics of whey. The experiment consisted of two treatments, namely coagulation using calf rennet (P1) and red ginger extract (P2), each with three replications. The observed parameters included total plate count (TPC), total LAB, and the morphological characteristics of LAB isolates. The data were analyzed using an independent t-test. The results showed that P2 produced a lower TPC than P1, whereas the total LAB did not differ significantly between treatments. The isolates from P1 were predominantly Gram-positive rod-shaped bacteria, whereas those from P2 were predominantly Gram-positive cocci. These findings indicate that the use of red ginger extract as a coagulant reduces the total microbial population without reducing the LAB population, suggesting its potential as an alternative coagulant for cheese production with favorable microbiological characteristics of whey.