Effect of manufacturing treatments on the rheological character of Mozzarella cheese made from microfiltration retentate depleted of whey proteins

Low-moisture, part-skim (LMPS) Mozzarella cheeses were made from highly concentrated skim milk microfiltration (MF) retentate and butteroil. Differing combinations of rennet concentration, coagulation temperature and post-coagulation curd cutting time were used, with comparisons made of the rheological and functional characteristics of cheeses during ageing. Lubricated squeezing flow, stress relaxation, melt and stretch measurements demonstrated that commercial LMPS Mozzarella had substantial textural and functional change between 7 and 30 days of age, while the rheological and functional behaviour of LMPS MF Mozzarella (MFM) exhibited substantial change between 30 and 60 days of age. Rennet concentration was the only experimental factor to significantly affect MFM rheological and functional development. The delayed development of MFM was partially attributed to inhibition of normal cheese proteolysis via whey protein (WP) incorporation, lack of starter culture protease, and homogenization of MF cheesemilk. Use of starter culture in MFM led to improved rheological and functional behaviour.