ACCELERATION OF EDAM CHEESE RIPENING USING ACID FUNGAL PROTEASE

Edam cheese was made from a mixture of cow/goat milk (1:1, v/v). The mixture of both milks was standardized to have 3.2% fat and a casein/fat ratio of 0.7, heated at 72-degrees-C for 15 s, immediately cooled to 40-degrees-C and divided into four portions. Acid fungal protease (Formase 200) was added at levels of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg of curd to the first three portions, and the last one was manufactured without the addition of acid fungal protease to serve as a control sample. The samples of control as well as those of different treatments were analysed for chemical and organoleptic properties when fresh and after 1, 2 and 3 months of storage at 12 +/- 1-degrees-C. The obtained results pointed out that the samples of Formase-treated-cheese exhibited higher values of soluble nitrogen/total nitrogen ratio (SN/TN), total volatile fatty acids (TVFA), titratable acidity (TA), and the flavour was developed faster as compared with the samples of control. A good quality Edam cheese could be produced with a high acceptability when Formase 200 was used at level of 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg of curd and the cheese was ripened for 2 months only.