Algerian extra hard cheese of Klila: a review on the production method, and microbial, organoleptic, and nutritional properties

Abstract

This paper reviews the traditional practice of Klila production, its microbiological, physicochemical and nutritional properties and aims to raise awareness of Klila. The main objective of this review is to highlight the typicality of Klila and to propose a form of labelling that could help promote it. The Klila is a traditional extra hard cheese from southern Algeria. Nomadic tribes produce it from goat, sheep, or cow milk. Curdled milk is obtained by spontaneous fermentation. It is churned to recover the butter. The co-product, a sour, fat-free milk: Lben, undergoes a moderate heat treatment to get a fresh cheese which, after a dehydration process, gives the Klila. The chemical composition of this product varies regarding fat content. It has a very low water content (less than 10%) and comes in very hard pieces of varying size and irregular shape. The dry matter, for instance, can vary from 33 to 95%. Water availability (Aw) varies from 0.32 to 0.467. Fat rate can vary a lot from region to region from 9.5 to 29.3 g/100 g of cheese. The protein rate also varies a lot: between 29.9 and 71.4 g/100 g of cheese. The lactose concentration can range within 1.2 to 2.4 g/100 mL. The microbiological quality of Klila depends mainly on the quality of the raw milk used and all hygienic factors that surround milk production. The physicochemical conditions that prevail inside Klila are not favourable for the microbial growth. The Klila is an example of adaptation of the nomads’ lifestyle in the Algerian Sahara who use it as a culinary adjunct for nutritional and therapeutic purposes. The Klila can be grinded to be put as ingredient in “Zrizri” dessert with dates and clarified butter (smen). Some people prefer to consume fresh Klila with dates and green tea.

Traditional Fermented Dairy Products in Southern Mediterranean Countries: From Tradition to Innovation

“…This artisanal manufacturing process is still applied in different Algerian regions [110]. Dry Klila can be rehydrated (using milk or water) and mixed with cereal flours [111]. Klila is characterized by high-protein content and low-salt and -fat contents, and it is consequently recommended to people with metabolic diseases such as diabetes or high cholesterol levels [111,112].…”

Inventoried Yeast Species in Algeria

“…There are at least 20 dairy products (Annexe II). The richness of vocabulary proves how people depend on dairy products [8,10,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Named products have been repeatedly described in various works but they havenot been developed yet.…”

“…The presence of yeasts is notified in the traditional cheese Bouhezza [31,32], as well as the local product Michouna [33,34] but not identified. In those studies like others [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] the orientation is given to evaluate bacteria. Yeasts are sometimes only quantified as Yeasts and molds even in extensive studies to evaluate the sensitive properties or the chemical characteristics of the famous Bouhezza cheese [99,100].…”

Microbiological Quality of Sour Milk Cheese Made From Raw Cow's Milk

“…The main sources of transmission are water, eggs and raw foods [6]. Thus, scientists [1][2][3] managed to detect salmonella in raw milk, which was sold on local markets. The obtained results showed that 21% of samples of milk and dairy products were positive for Salmonella, and their content in raw milk was up to 20%.…”

“…It is believed that the most pathogenic and enteroxygenic are coagulase-positive staphylococci, the main representative of which is S. aureus [19]. Studies conducted by scientists in our country and abroad [3] indicate that staphylococci are present in raw milk almost constantly and their number ranges from 5×10 2 to 2.8×10 5 CFU/cm 3 .…”