EFFECT OF LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATION ON PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF CHEESE PRODUCED FROM COW'S MILK

Abstract

The quality and composition of cheese produced in Ethiopia may vary due to the quality and composition of the milk, method of manufacture, and the process passedfrom parents to children by observation and practical experiences. In view of this, theeffect of lemon juice concentration on the proximate composition of cheese producedfrom cow’s milk was investigated. The treatment consisted of three lemon juiceconcentrations (20 mL, 30 mL, and 40 mL) and two milk sources (Menelik and Yigezudairy farms). The experiment was laid out as a Complete Randomized Design (RCD) infactorial arrangements (2×3=6 treatments) and replicated three times per treatment.Proximate composition (moisture, ash, crude protein, and crude fat) of cheese sampleswere analyzed using standard methods and sensory quality (aroma, taste, color, andoverall acceptability) of cheese were determined using a 10-member panel. Lemonjuice concentration has a significant (P< 0.05) effect on proximate composition andsensory characteristics of cheese. The proximate composition result showed that thehighest moisture content was 56.23% in the Menelik milk sample treated at 20 mLlemon juice concentration, ash, and crude protein content were highest, 2.88%, and16.31% in the Menelik milk sample treated at 30 mL lemon juice concentration. Asignificantly high crude fat (24.99%) content was observed in cheese processed with a20 mL lemon juice treated milk sample. So, significantly high protein (16.31%), crudefat (24.99%), and moisture (56.23%) contents were observed in cheese, processed usinglemon juice. The sensory quality result showed that the highest overall acceptabilitywas 6.00 in the Menelik milk sample treated at 30 mL lemon juice concentration. Thesensory quality of the cheese sample has average values of aroma, taste, color, andoverall acceptability of 5.12, 5.35, 6.00, and 5.48 on a 7-point hedonic scale,respectively, and was liked slightly. The study concluded that lemon juiceconcentration had a significant effect on the proximate composition and sensory qualityof cheese