Vatless manufacturing of low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese from highly concentrated skim milk microfiltration retentates.

Low-moisture, part-skim (LMPS) Mozzarella cheeses were made from concentration factor (CF) 6, 7, 8, and 9, pH 6.0 skim milk microfiltration (MF) retentates using a vatless cheese-making process. The compositional and proteolytic effects of cheese made from 4 CF retentates were evaluated as well as their functional properties (meltability and stretchability). Pasteurized skim milk was microfiltered using a 0.1-microm ceramic membrane at 50 degrees C to a retentate CF of 6, 7, 8, and 9. An appropriate amount of cream was added to achieve a constant casein:fat ratio in the 4 cheesemilks. The ratio of rennet to casein was also kept constant in the 4 cheesemilks. The compositional characteristics of the cheeses made from MF retentates did not vary with retentate CF and were within the legal range for LMPS Mozzarella cheese. The observed reduction in whey drained was greater than 90% in the cheese making from the 4 CF retentates studied. The development of proteolytic and functional characteristics was slower in the MF cheeses than in the commercial samples that were used for comparison due to the absence of starter culture, the lower level of rennet used, and the inhibition of cheese proteolysis due to the inhibitory effect of residual whey proteins retained in the MF retentates, particularly high molecular weight fractions.