Impact of cheese milk cold storage on milk coagulation properties, calcium contents, and cheese yield

This study evaluated the impact of storage conditions (time, 0–48 h; temperature, 4–16 °C) of raw cheese milk on coagulation properties using diffusion wave spectroscopy. Specifically, rennet coagulation time (RCT) and curd firmness were affected by storage time and temperature. At 4–8 °C, the RCT increased with the storage time 24–48 h compared with the control, while curd firmness decreased. Cheese yield decreased remarkably at 8 °C and 24 h. At 12 °C, only the RCT increased at 48 h, while curd firmness decreased remarkably. A different finding was discovered at 16 °C: after a small RCT increase at 24 h, a significant decrease at 48 h was found, even though the pH was constant. Conversely, curd firmness was not significantly affected. Parallel to this study, free Ca2+ was analysed during cold storage, and the results were compared with total calcium analysis in whey.