Authors
Title
Abstract
There were analysed physicochemical, rheological (hardness) and sensory properties of acid curd cheese (tvarog) produced from cow’s milk with added MSO and MSO-11 starter cultures during a 21-day storage period at 5 ± 1 oC. The experimental samples, produced under the laboratory conditions, were vacuum-packed in a 40 μm thick PE/PA foil. The analysis of curd cheeses (tvarogs) was performed immediately after production and after 3, 7, 14 and 21 days of cold storage. The tvarogs analysed were every time sensory evaluated using a five-point ordinal scale and there were determined: the contents of water and fat, water activity, titratable and active acidity, the amount of whey syneresis and hardness. It was found that during storage the cheeses evaluated did not differ in their basic chemical composition. The type of starter culture significantly differentiated the tvarogs as regards their water activity, whey syneresis, pH, titratable acidity and hardness. The cheese produced using the MSO starter culture was characterized by better sensory characteristics. During storage there were reported: the decrease in the water content, the increase in fat content, the increase in the amount of whey occurring in the packages with experimental samples, the increase in the titratable acidity, the drop in pH and the increase in the hardness of the tvarogs analysed.
Keywords
cow’s milk, tvarog, physicochemical characteristics, rheological characteristics, sensory evaluation, starter cultures