Determination of Some Properties of Traditional Kelle Cheese

Abstract

Kelle cheese is a type of cheese produced in small or family owned enterprises in Kahramanmaraş region. This cheese obtained sheep’s milk that are fed the region’s natural vegetation and water sources, are matured in brine. Kelle cheese produced by no starter culture addition has its own characteristic taste and aroma. In this study, 16 Kelle cheese were obtained from the retail markets in Elbistan district of Kahramanmaraş and chemical, biochemical properties and mineral matter compositions of cheese samples were determined. According to survey the following average values were obtained for Kelle cheese samples; 68.24 % dry matter, ash 11.77 %, fat 26.08 %, protein 25.49 %, salt 4.20 %, water activity 0.77, water soluble nitrogen content 4.90 %, % 12 Trichloroacetic acid soluble nitrogen 1.39, % 5 Phosphotungstic acid soluble nitrogen content 0.87, total fatty acids 3.22 %, pH 5.82 and titratable acidity (lactic acid) 0.31 %. The variation ranges of calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, zinc and copper contents of cheese samples were found to be 4344.76-9273.79, 8578.94-18674.18, 166.29-575.15, 127.04-392.11, 0.16-0.80, 2.08-6.44, 22.70-65.37, 0.72-5.43 mg/kg, respectively. © 2016, Centenary University. All rights reserved.