Composition and aptitude for cheese-making of milk from cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, dromedary camels, and donkeys.
Abstract: Bovines produce about 83% of the milk and dairy products consumed by humans worldwide, the rest represented by bubaline, caprine, ovine, camelid, and equine species, which are particularly important in areas of extensive pastoralism. Although milk is increasingly used for cheese production, the cheese-making efficiency of milk from the different species is not well known. This study compares the cheese-making ability of milk sampled from lactating females of the 6 dairy species in terms of milk composition, coagulation properties (using lactodynamography), curd-firming modeling, nutrients recovered in the curd, and cheese yield (through laboratory model-cheese production). Equine (donkey) milk had the lowest fat and protein content and did not coagulate after rennet addition. Buffalo and ewe milk yielded more fresh cheese (25.5 and 22.9%, respectively) than cow, goat, and dromedary milk (15.4, 11.9, and 13.8%, respectively). This was due to the greater fat and protein contents of the former species with respect to the latter, but also to the greater recovery of fat in the curd of bubaline (88.2%) than in the curd of camelid milk (55.0%) and consequent differences in the recoveries of milk total solids and energy in the curd; protein recovery, however, was much more similar across species (from 74.7% in dromedaries to 83.7% in bovine milk). Compared with bovine milk, the milk from the other Artiodactyla species coagulated more rapidly, reached curd firmness more quickly (especially ovine milk), had a more pronounced syneresis (especially caprine milk), had a greater potential asymptotical curd firmness (except dromedary and goat milk), and reached earlier maximum curd firmness (especially caprine and ovine milk). The maximum measured curd firmness was greater for bubaline and ovine milk, intermediate for bovine and caprine milk, and lower for camelid milk. The milk of all ruminant species can be used to make cheese, but, to improve efficiency, cheese-making procedures need to be optimized to take into account the large differences in their coagulation, curd-firming, and syneresis properties.
The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. and Fass Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Publication Date: 2021-12-23 PubMed ID: 34955249DOI: 10.3168/jds.2021-20961Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research aims to compare the cheese-making properties of milk from six dairy species, including cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, camels, and donkeys. The findings indicate significant differences in cheese yield and coagulation properties among the different milks, with buffalo and sheep milk proving most efficient for cheese production.
Milk Composition and Coagulation Properties
- Milk from these six species was studied in terms of composition and coagulation properties, the latter analyzed via a technique called lactodynamography, to assess their suitability for cheese-making.
- The study found that donkey milk had the least fat and protein content and did not coagulate when rennet, an enzyme used in cheese-making, was added. This makes it unsuitable for cheese production.
Curd-Firming and Cheese Yield
- The investigation further assessed the milk’s curd-firming potential and the amount of nutrients retained in the curd, which are key determinants of the cheese yield.
- Buffalo and sheep milk had higher yields of fresh cheese compared to cow, goat, and camel milk due to their higher fat and protein content and better fat recovery in the curd. This implies that buffalo and sheep milk may be more efficient for cheese production in terms of yield.
Coagulation and Syneresis Properties
- Another discovery was that, on comparison with cow milk, milk from other Artiodactyla species (a group that includes cows, buffaloes, sheep, and goats) coagulated faster, reached curd firmness quicker, and exhibited a more pronounced syneresis, i.e., the process of releasing whey from the curd.
- Ovine (sheep) milk reached curd firmness most quickly, while caprine (goat) milk exhibited the most pronounced syneresis. These traits could be advantageous in speeding up the cheese-making process.
Optimization for Cheese-making Procedures
- The research finds that although milk from all ruminant species can be used for cheese-making, the procedures need to be optimized due to the significant differences in coagulation, curd-firming, and syneresis properties.
- Understanding these traits better can lead to improved efficiency in cheese-making. For example, milk types that coagulate more quickly or yield a firmer curd may be more suitable for certain types of cheeses.
Cite This Article
APA
Bittante G, Amalfitano N, Bergamaschi M, Patel N, Haddi ML, Benabid H, Pazzola M, Vacca GM, Tagliapietra F, Schiavon S.
(2021).
Composition and aptitude for cheese-making of milk from cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep, dromedary camels, and donkeys.
J Dairy Sci, 105(3), 2132-2152.
https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-20961 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- DAFNAE-Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova (Padua), 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy.
- DAFNAE-Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova (Padua), 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy.
- DAFNAE-Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova (Padua), 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy.
- DAFNAE-Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova (Padua), 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy.
- Laboratoire de Mycologie, Biotechnologie et Activité Microbienne, Université des Frères Mentouri, Constantine 25000, Algeria.
- Institut de Nutrition, Alimentation et Technologies Agro-Alimentaires, Université des Frères Mentouri, Constantine 25000, Algeria.
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
- DAFNAE-Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova (Padua), 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy. Electronic address: franco.tagliapietra@unipd.it.
- DAFNAE-Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova (Padua), 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Aptitude
- Buffaloes
- Camelus
- Cattle
- Cheese
- Equidae
- Female
- Goats
- Horses
- Lactation
- Milk / metabolism
- Phenotype
- Sheep
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Villar-Hernández BJ, Amalfitano N, Cecchinato A, Pazzola M, Vacca GM, Bittante G. Phenotypic Analysis of Fourier-Transform Infrared Milk Spectra in Dairy Goats.. Foods 2023 Feb 14;12(4).
- Kahraman M, Yurtseven S, Sakar E, Daş A, Yalçın H, Güngören G, Boyraz MÜ, Koyuncu İ. Pistachio, Pomegranate and Olive Byproducts Added to Sheep Rations Change the Biofunctional Properties of Milk through the Milk Amino Acid Profile.. Food Sci Anim Resour 2023 Jan;43(1):124-138.
- Bittante G, Amalfitano N, Cipolat-Gotet C, Lombardi A, Stocco G, Tagliapietra F. Major Causes of Variation of External Appearance, Chemical Composition, Texture, and Color Traits of 37 Categories of Cheeses.. Foods 2022 Dec 14;11(24).
- Szterk A, Ofiara K, Strus B, Abdullaev I, Ferenc K, Sady M, Flis S, Gajewski Z. Content of Health-Promoting Fatty Acids in Commercial Sheep, Cow and Goat Cheeses.. Foods 2022 Apr 13;11(8).
- Leeuwendaal NK, Stanton C, O'Toole PW, Beresford TP. Fermented Foods, Health and the Gut Microbiome.. Nutrients 2022 Apr 6;14(7).
- Alhaj OA, Lajnaf R, Jrad Z, Alshuniaber MA, Jahrami HA, Serag El-Din MF. Comparison of Ethanol Stability and Chemical Composition of Camel Milk from Five Samples.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Mar 1;12(5).
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