Factors affecting the coagulation of milk protein during quark cheese processing in Vietnam

Abstract

In recent years, cheese consumption in Vietnam is markedly rising, leading to the attention of local milk processors on cheese making. Quark-type cheese, a traditional food in Central Europe, is a type of well-known acid-coagulated cheese product. Milk coagulation properties (MCPs) play an important role to the success of the cheese-making process and are influenced by different parameters. In this study, the quality of raw milk for cheese making and the coagulation conditions in quark-type cheese processing were investigated. Raw milk collected from Phu Dong dairy farm met the requirement of Vietnamese standard for cheese making. The appropriate conditions for coagulation were identified: the heat treatment of milk at 60^oC for 15 minutes, coagulation temperature at 40^oC and pH 5.5, CaCl₂ concentration at 0.04 g/l. Under these conditions, a short coagulation time (72.33 seconds) and high curd yields (50.70%) were obtained. These results suggested that quark-type cheese using raw milk in Vietnam could be successfully developed at larger scale.