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Production and Consumer Acceptance of Latin American White Cheese¹

Departments of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824

ABSTRACT

Latin American white cheese was produced by direct acidification of whole milk to pH 4.7 to 4.8 at 82 C. In a typical trial, whole milk (2730 kg) was heated to 82 C in a cheese vat. Citric acid solution (5.9 kg/60 liters water) was blended to precipitate the curd. Following whey draining, the curd was mixed with 8 kg of salt. After pressed overnight at 2.8 kg/cm², the cheese blocks were held at 15.5 C for 3 wk for texture improvement. Cheese yield averaged 13.36%. Flavor, texture, slicing, and frying characteristics were excellent in cheese containing 48 to 50% moisture, 21 to 22% fat, 20 to 21% protein, and a pH of 5.0. Based on a 5-point Hedonic scale, 65% of the 848 consumers reported they "like the test cheese very much" or "quite well" while 31% reported "it was acceptable". The most popular possible use indicated was as a snack (72%), followed by use on pizza (46%), in a salad (31%), and as an ingredient in a cooked product (21%).

A relatively short ripening time of 3 wk, a significantly higher yield, and potential savings in processing time associated with Latin American white cheese offer attractive economic advantages to the cheese manufacturer.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director, Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station as Journal Article No. 8814.