Effects of starter level, draining time and aging on the physicochemical, organoleptic and rheological properties of feta cheese

Abstract

Feta cheese was made from ewe's milk using three different levels of starter (0.20, 0.50 and 0.75%) and two draining times (6 and 20 h). Cheese made with addition of 0.75% starter had a lower pH and moisture content than the cheeses made with 0.20 and 0.50% starter. With the increase in starter level there was also an increase in cheese fat content, although the fat in dry matter remained almost constant. The lower level of starter resulted in cheese with lower protein content, while other cheese components were not significantly affected by the starter levels used. The yield of cheese made with addition of 0.75% starter was significantly lower than the yield of cheeses made with the other levels. Also, the yield of cheeses made with 6 h drainage was greater than the yield of cheeses made with 20 h drainage. In general, the organoleptic and rheological properties of cheeses were not affected by the three levels of starter used for feta cheese manufacture.

Incorporation of Lactobacillus adjuncts culture to improve the quality of Feta-type cheese made using buffalo milk

“…Creamer and Olson (1982) suggested that the hydrolysis of α s1 -casein to α s1 -1-casein is responsible for early softening of high moisture cheeses. Pappas et al (1996) also suggested that increased degradation of α s1 -casein during ripening softens cheese texture. However, the fact that from 30 days onwards, the hardness of all the experimental Feta-type cheese increased could be due to the fact that the extent of proteolysis was probably not sufficient enough to compensate the loss of moisture in cheese towards the end of ripening period.…”

Effect of rate of addition of starter culture on textural characteristics of buffalo milk Feta type cheese during ripening

“…Creamer and Olson (1982) suggested that the hydrolysis of α s1 -casein to α s1 -1-casein is responsible for early softing of high moisture cheeses. Pappas et al (1996) also suggested that increased degradation of α s1 -casein during ripening softens the cheese.…”

“…A yoghurt culture or a combination of mesophillic and thermophilic lactic acid bacteria is used for large-scale production of Feta cheese (Tamime and Kirkegaard 1991). In fact, mesophilic LAB or a mixture of mesophilic and thermophilic strains are more suitable than using only thermophilic LAB or yoghurt culture for the high acidification rate that is essential for the production of high-quality Feta cheese (Kandarakis et al 2001;Pappa and Anifantakis 2001a, b;Pappas et al 1996).…”

Use of mesophilic Lactic Acid Bacteria in the manufacture of Feta cheese

“…After the 1st day of cheesemaking all other starter combinations had a satisfactory fermenting activity and the desired pH (4.5-4.6) was reached within 3-4 d post-coagulation. The pH drop rate was higher than that observed by other researchers (Pappas et al 1996a, Pappas et al 1996b, Papageorgiou and Marth 1989. This is probably due to the fact that the strains used in this study had been selected among a total of 109 strains for being fast acid producers (Karageorgis et al 2006).…”

“…Οι υπόλοιποι συνδυασμοί (με ή/και με μεσόφιλα στελέχη) έδειξαν ικανοποιητική δραστηριότητα μετά την 1η ημέρα και το pH μειώθηκε σε όλα τα δείγματα στα επιθυμητά όρια (pH 4,5 -4,6) εντός 3 έως 4 ημερών. Ο ρυθμός πτώσης του pH ήταν μεγαλύτερος από αυτόν που παρατήρησαν άλλοι ερευνητές (Pappas et al 1996a, Pappas et al 1996b, Papageorgiou and Marth 1989. Αυτό οφείλεται μάλλον στο ότι στην έρευνα μας, τα μεσόφιλα στελέχη είχαν προεπιλεγεί από ένα σύνολο 109 στελεχών (Κα ραγεώργης και συν.…”