Effect of Milk Preacidification on Low Fat Mozzarella Cheese: ll. Chemical and Functional Properties During Storage

摘要

The effect of milk preacidification on cheese manufac- turing, chemical properties, and functional properties of low fat Mozzarella cheese was determined. Four vats of cheese were made in 1 d using no preacidification (control), preacidification to pH 6.0 and pH 5.8 with acetic acid, and preacidification to pH 5.8 with citric acid. This process was replicated four times. Modifica- tions in the typical Mozzarella manufacturing proce- dures were necessary to accommodate milk preacidifi- cation. The chemical composition of the cheeses was similar among the treatments, except the calcium con- tent and calcium as a percentage of protein were lower in the preacidified treatments. During refrigerated storage, the chemical and functional properties of low fat Mozzarella were affected the most by milk preacidi- fication to pH 5.8 with citric acid. The amount of ex- pressible serum, unmelted cheese whiteness, initial un- melted hardness, and initial apparent viscosity were lower with preacidification. The reduction in initial un- melted cheese hardness and initial apparent viscosity in the pH 5.8 citric treatments represents an improve- ment in the quality of low fat Mozzarella cheese that allows the cheese to have better pizza bake characteris- tics with shorter time of refrigerated storage.