The Effects of Production and Ripening Methods on Some Properties of the Herby Cheese Otlu Peynir

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of two production and ripening methods on some properties of these herby cheeses. The cheeses were produced from raw and pasteurised milks and ripened with two different salting methods. In the first method, the cheeses were ripened in brine and in the second, the cheeses were dry-salted and firmly filled in a container (filling cheese). Some chemical, biochemical, microbiological and sensorial properties of the cheeses were investigated on days 3, 90, 180 and 270. It was found that dry matter and fat contents of the filling cheeses were higher than those of the brined cheeses. More proteolysis and lipolysis occurred in the cheeses made with raw milk and the dry salting method. Total aerobic count and moulds-yeasts were higher in dry-salted and raw milk cheeses. Similarly, high numbers of coliforms were detected in raw milk cheeses, especially in the earlier stages of the ripening. The filling cheeses had higher sensorial scores.