MOZZARELLA CHEESE-MAKING BY A STIRRED CURD, NO BRINE PROCEDURE

To eliminate the problems associated with brine salting, a milled curd, no brine method for making low moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheese was developed and reported previously. The method produced cheese with homogeneous chemical composition and desirable functional characteristics. However, the moisture content of the low moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheese from this method was too low (about 44 to 45%). To increase cheese moisture content, a stirred curd, no brine Mozzarella cheese-making process was developed. With this new method, cheese moisture content can be controlled within the range of 45 to 52% while achieving normal salt, pH, and fat content on a dry weight basis. Changes in proteolysis and functional properties during the refrigerated storage were similar to those for commercial cheeses.