Effect of milk preacidification on low fat Mozzarella cheese. I. Composition and yield

The effect of milk preacidification with acetic or citric acid on the compo sition and yield of low fat Mozzarella cheese was determined. Two cheese ma nufacturing trials were conducted. In trial 1, three vats (230 kg of milk p er vat) of cheese were made in 1 d using no preacidification (control) and preacidification to pH 6.0 and pH 5.8 with citric acid. In trial 2, four va ts (230 kg of milk per vat) of cheese were made in 1 d using no preacidific ation (control), preacidification to pH 6.0 and 5.8 with acetic acid, and p reacidification to pH 5.8 with citric acid. Cheese manufacture was repeated on three different days in trial 1 and four different days in trial 2 usin g a randomized-complete block design. Preacidification to pH 5.8 with citri c acid decreased cheese calcium more than preacidification to pH 5.8 with a cetic acid. Preacidification with citric acid in trial 1 decreased protein recovery in the cheese, and there was a trend for decreased protein recover y in the cheese for trial 2. Differences in fat recovery due to preacidific ation varied, sometimes being fewer than the control other times being high er than the control. The reduction in calcium and protein recovery in the c heese caused by preacidification lowered composition adjusted cheese yield and yield efficiency. Yield efficiency was reduced by about 2.5 and 5.5%, r espectively, with preacidification to pH 6.0 and 5.8 with citric acid. Yiel d efficiency was reduced by about 2.2 and 3.4%. respectively, with preacidi fication to pH 6.0 and pH 5.8 with acetic acid.