Effect of standardization of ewes' milk for ratio on the composition, sensory and rheological properties of Feta cheese

Abstract

Ewes' milk standardized to four different casein fat ( C F ) ratios (0·80, 0·72, 0·67, 0·62) was used for Feta cheese manufacture. Cheese made from the low C F ratio (0·62) milk had higher fat, fat in dry matter (FDM) and lower moisture and protein content than cheese made from the high C F ratio (0·80) milk. With increase in C F ratio, a significant decrease in fat, and FDM content and increase in protein content of Feta cheese was observed. The other components of cheese were not significantly affected by the C F ratio of milk used. Also, the yield of cheese, expressed as kg of cheese/100 kg milk, decreased with increase in the C F ratio of milk. On the other hand, yield expressed as kg of cheese with 56% moisture/kg milk fat increased with increasing C F ratio. The sensory and rheological properties of cheese were not affected by the four C F ratios of milk. Conclusions are drawn on the application of these results to Feta cheese manufacture.