THE INFLUENCE OF MILK POWDER CHARACTERISTICS ON THE PROPERTIES OF HALLOUMI CHEESE MADE FROM RECOMBINED MILK

The properties of halloumi made from recombined milks that had been prepared using milk powders processed by different methods were investigated. With skim milk powder, decreases in heat treatment of the liquid skim before drying were found to improve the stretch and melt properties of the cheese. In contrast, the level of solids in the skim concentrate before drying had no effect on the cheese characteristics. Ultrafiltration was also used to concentrate milk for spray drying. The resultant powder was recombined to given protein levels equivalent to that of normal milk and to that of milk concentrated fivefold. In both cases the recombined milks could be converted into high quality halloumi.