STRUCTURE OF KASHKAVAL CURD MANUFACTURED FROM MILK OR UF RETENTATE USING ENZYMES OF VARIOUS ORIGIN

Kashkaval is a popular Mediterranean cheese variety with a unique stru cture and specific technology. The effects of various coagulating enzy mes: calf rennet, rennet derived by fermentation or microbial pretense , as well as enzymes for accelerated cheese ripening, on the developme nt of microstructure of the curd during the production of traditional and UF Kashkaval cheese were investigated in this study. The microstru cture of the casein coagulum and curd produced from milk and 1.8-fold concentrated retentate during the manufacture of conventional Kashkava l variants and UF analogues differ from each other depending on their water and fat contents and the origin of enzymes used. Electron micros copy showed that milk coagulum obtained by standard chymosin contained smaller casein particles compared to gels produced by rennet derived by fermentation (Maxiren) or microbial enzyme (Rennilase) which formed chains and clusters more intensively Protein matrices of coagulums ob tained from UF retentates contained a higher proportion of chains than clusters. Casein micelles gradually fused and produced a compact cord with partially granulated protein matrix during conventional and UF K ashkaval cheese processing. (C) 1998 Academic Press.