Effect of technological parameters on the characteristics of kasseri cheese made from raw or pasteurized ewes' milk

Two groups of kasseri cheese (pasta filata type) were manufactured from raw or pasteurized ewes' milk without starter cultures. Cheeses of each group were divided into two subgroups: the first was ripened and stored at 4 degr eesC and packaged in plastic film: the second ripened and stored at 15 degr eesC and coated with paraffin wax. Milk pasteurization and technological pa rameters had a significant effect on the pH (P < 0.05), while only technolo gical parameters had an effect on the total solids content. At day 120, the range of mean cfu/g counts for the mesophilic aerobic flora was 9.5 x 10(7 )-1.4 x 10(8); for the thermophilic streptococci, the range was 2.6 x 107-7 .6 x 10(7); and for the thermophilic bacilli, 9.8 x 10(6)-1.7 x 10(7). Chan ges in the N fractions became significant after 30 days of ripening. For ma ture 120-day-old cheeses, the percentage of total N soluble at pH 4.6 was 2 2.7%-22.9% in raw milk cheeses and 19.0%-21.7% in pasteurized milk cheeses. The percentage of total N soluble at 12% TCA was 10.1%-12.2% in raw milk c heeses and 7.3%- 4.0% and 2.6%-3.6%, respectively. The residual alpha (s)-c asein percentages at day 120 ranged between 63% and 78% of the respective a rea at day 1: the residual beta -casein ranged between 67% and 75%. There w ere some characteristic differences in the reverse phase-HPLC peptide profi les of he four cheeses. In general, the effect of the different ripening co nditions was more pronounced in cheeses made from pasteurized milk.