Production of cottage cheese with improved quality indicators

Cottage cheese is a healthy dairy protein product that is included in the diet of most Russians. It is consumed as an independent product, used as a prescription ingredient in the production of semi-finished products (for example, cheesecakes, dumplings, etc.). The main processes that determine the quality of cottage cheese are casein coagulation and processing of the formed clot. To produce a product of standard moisture content and consistency, it is necessary to obtain a dense protein clot with irreversibly breaking bonds that contribute to its syneresis. The method of protein coagulation has a significant impact on the structural-mechanical and syneretic properties of clots. Clots formed during acid coagulation of proteins have a greater dispersion of particles, as well as lower viscosity and strength compared to clots obtained by rennet-acid coagulation. However, for low-fat cottage cheese and cottage cheese with a mass fraction of fat of 5%, it is preferable to carry out acid coagulation. The structure and properties of clots are affected by: the chemical composition of milk or cream; the composition of the starter cultures used; pasteurization modes; homogenization modes; fermentation temperature; clot acidity; modes of cooling and maturation; mass fraction of calcium chloride, etc. Raw milk with high quality indicators was used in the production of cottage cheese. Experimental samples of milk differed from the control in increased mass fraction of protein by 0.7-0.8% and fat by 0.2-0.4%, solids; the smallest number of somatic cells. A mixture was made to obtain cottage cheese with a mass fraction of fat of 5%. Pasteurization of the milk mixture was carried out at a temperature of 80 ºС with a holding time of 20 seconds. To improve clot syneresis, the homogenization operation was excluded. In the production of cottage cheese, certain technological modes were chosen that provided the specified characteristics of the clot. Cottage cheese obtained by an optimized technology is characterized by a reduced mass fraction of moisture by 4.5 ± 0.2%, lower titratable acidity by 25 ± 1 ºT, a reduced amount of yeast and mold, and an increased moisture-holding capacity compared to the control sample.