Effect of acidulants on the recovery of milk constituents and quality of Mozzarella processed cheese.

The investigation was undertaken to study the effect of acidulants on the recovery of milk constituents and composition of Mozzarella pre-cheese and physical, chemical and sensory characteristics and texture profile analysis (TPA) of processed cheese prepared there from. The pre-cheese was made by direct acidification technique using citric, acetic and lactic acid and processed with 1 % tri-sodium citrate. The acidulants significantly (p < 0.05) affected the fat and protein recoveries and chemical composition of pre-cheese. These also had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on chemical constituents (moisture, protein, fat on dry basis and moisture in non-fat substances), sensory characteristics, physical properties (expressible serum, fat leakage and meltability) and TPA (hardness, fracturability, adhesiveness, elasticity, gumminess and chewiness) of processed cheese.