The effect of added proteolytic enzymes on meltability of Mozzarella cheese manufactured by ultrafiltration

Abstract

Four proteolytic enzymes (Neutrase®, Bacillus licheniformis proteinase (BLP), porcine trypsin (PT), and Fusarium oxysporum proteinase (FOT)) were evaluated in Mozzarella cheese manufactured by ultrafiltration (UF). The UF Mozzarella cheese had impaired melting behaviour due to the incorporation of whey protein into the cheese curd. PT and FOT had no activity during incubation and storage. The melting (< 10% diameter expansion (DE)) and sensoric behaviour of these cheeses were similar to the control UF Mozzarella without enzyme addition. Cheeses with Neutrase® showed very strong proteolytic activity and increased non-coagulable nitrogen (NCN) to > 50% after 5 weeks. DE was ∼ 45%, but a very bitter off taste was found. BLP increased proteolysis NCN ∼ 30%), and the DE was ∼ 25% without any off flavours. Acceleration of proteolysis in UF Mozzarella by enzyme addition generally improved the meltability due to increased casein degradation, while whey protein was resistant to proteolysis. © Inra/Elsevier, Paris.