Effect of milk centrifugation and incorporation of high-heat-treated centrifugate on the composition, texture, and ripening characteristics of Maasdam cheese

This study investigated the effect of centrifugation (9,000 × g, 50°C, flow rate = 1,000 L/h), as well as the incorporation of high-heat-treated (HHT) centrifugate into cheese milk on the composition, texture, and ripening characteristics of Maasdam cheese. Neither centrifugation nor incorporation of HHT centrifugate into cheese milk had a pronounced effect on the compositional parameters of any experimental cheeses, except for moisture and moisture in nonfat substance (MNFS) levels. Incorporation of HHT centrifugate at a rate of 6 to 10% of the total milk weight into centrifuged milk increased the level of denatured whey protein in the cheese milk and also increased the level of MNFS in the resultant cheese compared with cheeses made from centrifuged milk and control cheeses; moreover, cheese made from centrifuged milk had ∼3% higher moisture content on average than control cheeses. Centrifugation of cheese milk reduced the somatic cell count by ∼95% relative to the somatic cell count in raw milk. Neither centrifugation nor incorporation of HHT centrifugate into cheese milk had a significant effect on age-related changes in pH, lactate content, and levels of primary and secondary proteolysis. However, the value for hardness was significantly lower for cheeses made from milk containing HHT centrifugate than for other experimental cheese types. Overall, centrifugation appeared to have little effect on composition, texture, and ripening characteristics of Maasdam cheese. However, care should be taken when incorporating HHT centrifugate into cheese milk, because such practices can influence the level of moisture, MNFS, and texture (particularly hardness) of resultant cheeses. Such differences may have the potential to influence subsequent eye development characteristic, although no definitive trends were observed in the present study and further research on this is recommended.