Plumeria Alba Latex as a New Plant Protease for Waragashi Cheese Production: A Comparative Assessment of Yield and Physicochemical and Textural Characteristics

The Peuhl cheese (Waragashi, Warangachi, Wagashi, or Wara in local language) is a soft cheese with a high nutritional value, prepared by coagulation of whole milk under the action of calotropaine, a plant enzyme from Calotropis procera. In this study, Plumeria alba latex has been used as an alternative source of enzymes for the production of Waragashi cheese. The effect of temperature on the milk-clotting activity (MCA), as well as the physicochemical properties of the Waragashi cheeses were investigated and compared with the ones prepared with C. procera and C. papaya latices. C. procera and C. papaya latices exhibited a maximum MCA at temperatures close to 55°C, while P. alba latex exhibited a maximum MCA at temperatures close to 80°C. Waragashi cheese produced using P. alba showed textural properties comparable with those prepared using C. procera, while the yield of production varied as a function of the quantity of the different coagulants and milk temperature. The results of these studies, it is clear that the P. alba latex can be used to produce Waragashi cheese, similar to the latices of C. procera and C. papaya. the next challenge of this study is to verify the toxicity of P. Alba latex.