Production and quality improvement of Indian cottage cheese (Paneer) using high pressure processing

Abstract

Paneer, a product of India similar to cottage cheese, was prepared from cow's milk heat-treated (90 °C/5 min) (HTMP) or high-pressure (HP) treated (500 MPa/15 min) (HPPMP) for achieving pasteurization. HTMP and HPPMP paneer samples were HP treated (500 MPa for 15 min) again after vacuum packaging to get HTMP/HPP and HPPMP/HPP samples, respectively. The third set of samples were obtained by dipping HTMP and HPPMP paneer samples in 2% lactic acid solution and then subjecting them to the same HP treatment and stamped as HTMP/LA/HPP and HPPMP/LA/HPP, respectively. All six types of vacuum-packed paneer were studied for changes in moisture, acidity, pH, color, texture, and microbiological quality during storage at 5 ± 1 °C and 25 ± 1 °C. High-pressure treatment of milk increased the yield of paneer significantly (P < 0.05) from 13.9 ± 0.59% (HTMP) to 18.2 ± 0.32% (HPPMP). Paneer treated with lactic acid and high-pressure treatment (HTMP/LA/HPP and HPPMP/LA/HPP) had higher textural stability than HTMP, HTMP/HPP, HPPMP, and HPPMP/HPP for up to 28 days, but had a reduced moisture content, higher acidity, and lower whiteness index. High-pressure treatment of vacuum-packed paneer (HTMP/HPP and HPPMP/HPP) led to the formation of a more compact paneer matrix (higher hardness), higher moisture expulsion, and yellowness (b*). Thus, high-pressure processing of paneer could pave paths for extending paneer shelf-life without any additives and thermal treatment.