Premium
Whey‐cheese production using freeze‐dried kefir culture as a starter
Author(s) -
Dimitrellou D.,
Kourkoutas Y.,
Banat I.M.,
Marchant R.,
Koutinas A.A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 1364-5072
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2007.03337.x
Subject(s) - starter , food science , kefir , shelf life , food spoilage , aroma , chemistry , organoleptic , lactic acid , biology , bacteria , genetics
Aims: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of a freeze‐dried kefir culture in the production of a novel type of whey‐cheese similar to traditional Greek Myzithra‐cheese, to achieve improvement of the quality characteristics of the final product and the extension of shelf‐life. Methods and Results: The use of kefir culture as a starter led to increased lactic acid concentrations and decreased pH values in the final product compared with whey‐cheese without starter culture. The effect of the starter culture on production of aroma‐related compounds responsible for cheese flavour was also studied using the solid phase microextraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry technique. Spoilage in unsalted kefir‐whey‐cheese was observed on the thirteenth and the twentieth day of preservation at 10 and 5°C, respectively, while the corresponding times for unsalted whey‐cheese preservation were 11 and 14 days. Conclusions: The cheeses produced were characterized as high‐quality products during the preliminary sensory evaluation. An indication of increased preservation time was attributed to the freeze‐dried kefir culture, which also seemed to suppress growth of pathogens. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results suggested the use of kefir culture as a means to extend the shelf‐life of dairy products with reduced or no salt content.