The effect of concentration of chymosin on the yield and sensory properties of camel cheese and on its microbiological quality

Abstract

The transformation of camel milk into soft cheese by using chymosin and yoghurt starter culture (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus) was investigated. The cheese yield and sensory properties were related to the concentration of chymosin. A yield of 16.74 g/100 mL of milk was obtained with a chymosin concentration of 1.7 mL/L of milk. The cheeses obtained with concentrations ranging between 1.0 mL and 2.9 mL of chymosin/L of milk scored highly regarding their sensory properties and had an acceptable microbiological quality. This study demonstrated that cheesemaking from camel milk can be made successfully providing that the appropriate chymosin concentration is used; and that 1.7 mL of chymosin/L of milk was optimal.