Ultrafiltered Gouda Cheese: Effects of Preacidification, Diafiltration, Rennet and Starter Concentration, and Time to Cut

Abstract

The effects of cheese milk preacidification pH, percentage of diafiltration water added during UF, rennet concentration, starter culture concentration, and time between coagulation and cut on the composition and ripening of Gouda cheese made from ultrafiltered milk were evaluated. Preacidification of cheese milk to pH 6.3 resulted in some decrease in cheese pH, which is desirable because the cheeses made from ultrafiltered milk produced in this study often had pH values above that of conventional cheese. Diafiltration level appears to be important because a low diafiltration level led to decreased cheese ripening measured as phosphotungstic acid- and TCA-soluble N. In this study, a decreased rennet concentration (one-third of conventional cheese) was found to be optimal because a level of two-thirds of conventional cheese led to excessive bitterness. Also, in this study, starter (3%), based on the weight of the retentate, gave a cheese pH and moisture more similar to the conventional cheese. On a volume basis, this amount of starter is less than that used for the conventional cheese. Increasing time between coagulation and cut did not noticeably improve texture.