Properties of Salt Coagulated Cheese Produced by Calcium Chloride and Calcium Propionate

Abstract

The project was carried out to clarify the physical, chemical and microbial properties of cheese coagulated by salt solutions. Salt coagulated cheese was produced by adding 4.2% by volume salt solution into boiled whole raw milk. Two salt solutions of calcium chloride and calcium propionate were studied at 3 different concentrations, including 5, 10 and 20% (w/v). The cheese curds were then pressed for 1 h at room temperature, cut into small cubes and kept at refrigerated temperature for physical, chemical and microbial analysis. In general, the yield of calcium propionate cheese was slightly higher than that of the calcium chloride cheese. The calcium propionate cheese had higher moisture content and pH value together with lower salt content and hardness compared to those of the calcium chloride cheese. The highest salt content of 1.27 + 0.13% was found in the calcium chloride cheese added with 20% salt solution, whereas the highest hardness (4.03 + 0.12 N) was discovered in the calcium chloride cheese supplemented with 5% salt solution. Different types and concentrations of salt solutions did not significantly affect the whiteness of the cheese sample (p>0.05). The number of psychrotroph bacteria in different cheese samples was in the range of 3.48 – 5.48 log cfu/g, while the presence of yeast and mould in all the cheese samples was lower than 1.49 log cfu/g.