Relationship between milk fat and protein contents and cheese yield

Abstract

The relation between the useful material content (protein+fat content) of milk and cheese yield was analyzed on 189 manufactures of pressed uncooked cheeses. These manufactures were realized under controlled conditions in the same experimental cheese dairy, within the framework of eight different experiments, from milks of high hygienic quality (cows free of clinical mastitis) partially skimmed so as to have a fat/protein ratio of 1.15. The fat+protein content of manufactured milks varied from 55 to 85 g·kg-1. The relation between fat+protein content and cheese yield was linear for this wide range of variation. Fat+protein content accounted for 77% of fresh yield and 87% of dry matter yield variability. Once the effect of fat and protein contents have been taken into account, other milk parameters (pH, κ-casein variants) may have a significant effect on cheese yield, but in a marginal way.