MOZZARELLA CHEESE - IMPACT OF WHEY PH AT DRAINING ON CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION, PROTEOLYSIS, AND FUNCTIONAL-PROPERTIES

Cultured low moisture, part skim Mozzarella cheeses were produced using the same milk (185 kg per vat), starter, and coagulant, but with two different whey pH at draining (6.40 and 6.15). Cheese was made by the milled-curd, nobrine method with a 41-degrees-C cooking temperature, 5.25 pH at milling, and 57-degrees-C stretching temperature. Cheese making was repeated three times on 3 different d. As pH decreased at draining, calcium content in the cheese was lower (from .83 to .75%), and cheese moisture was slightly higher (from 45.7 to 46.3%). However, no significant differences were detected in protein, fat, and salt contents. During storage, soluble nitrogen contents, meltability, and free oil increased, but alpha(s)-casein and apparent viscosity decreased, for all cheeses. There were significant influences of the interaction of draining pH with storage time on 12% TCA-soluble nitrogen content; i.e., proteolysis during refrigerated storage was faster with lower pH at draining.