Effect of different concentrated cultures on the proteolysis and organoleptic characteristics of Feta cheese

The effect of the addition of different lyophilized concentrated cultures direct into cheese milk on the proteolysis and organoleptic characteristics of Feta cheese was investigated. Cheeses made with thermophilic or control cultures had significantly higher values for water-soluble nitrogen (WSN) and trichloro acetic acid-soluble nitrogen (TCA-N)% of TN) compared to those of cheeses made with mesophilic or mixed cultures. The use of mesophilic or mixed culture resulted in cheeses, which had higher flavour scores than those of cheeses made with control or thermophilic cultures. However, despite their higher flavour scores these cheeses had a grainy body texture and were very acidic in taste.