Characteristics of Mozzarella cheeses made with fortified milk or nonfat dry milk

Concern over the possible use of substitutes for natural cheeses in federal food programs initiated our study of the textural properties of part skim Mozzarella cheese and Mozzarella substitutes. Cheeses were made from fresh milk (9% solids) or fresh milk fortified with 1 or 2% added calcium caseina te (CC) or nonfat dry milk (NFDM). Cheeses made from milk containing 9, 10, or 11% solids were also made using only reconstituted NFDM and cream. All cheeses showed a significant (p<0.0001) decrease in alpha(s1)-casein conten t during 6 wk of storage at 4 degrees C. As a result, mean values from melt ability, texture profile analysis, small amplitude oscillatory shear measur ements, and torsion analyses all changed significantly with storage. Almost all cheeses tended to become more rubbery during the storage period. This study showed that CC and NFDM can be added to Mozzarella cheese milk at a c oncentration of 1 or 2% without affecting the final properties of the chees e.