Protein and Major Cations in California Cottage Cheese and Yogurt

Abstract

To determine the concentrations of protein and major cations (calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium) in California cottage cheese and yogurt, 244 samples of cottage cheese and 52 samples of yogurt were collected from local retail stores. Mean concentrations of protein were 12.5% in cottage cheese and 4.50% in yogurt. Mean concentrations of calcium were 75.9 mg/100g in cottage cheese and 152.1 mg/100g in yogurt. Mean concentrations of potassium were 60 mg/100g in cottage cheese and 219 mg/100g in yogurt. Mean concentrations of magnesium were 10.8 mg/100g in cottage cheese and 19.7 mg/100g in yogurt. Mean concentrations of sodium were 393 mg/100g in cottage cheese and 65.8 mg/100g in yogurt. To measure the variation in concentrations of these constituents in cottage cheese due to time of year, samples of regular and lowfat cottage cheese were collected from a local plant each week for a year. Annual mean concentrations of protein, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium were 12.37%, 92.9 mg/100g, 63.7 mg/100g, 13.4 mg/100g, and 417 mg/100g in regular cottage cheese and 12.58%, 106.9 mg/100g, 85.6 mg/100g, 15.3 mg/100g, and 420 mg/100g in lowfat cottage cheese. Differences between the means for regular and lowfat cottage cheese were statistically significant for all constituents except sodium. Time-of-year effects were significant for protein, calcium, potassium, and sodium.