Development of fresh cheese made from coconut milk in combination with cow's milk

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop fresh cheese made from different types of coconut milk (fresh, UHT, and reconstituted coconut milk) mixed with pasteurized cow's milk (50:50) by rennet coagulation. The main aim of this study was to achieve successful formation of cheese curd with fully coconut milk aroma and flavor. Design/methodology/approach - Fresh cheese made from different types of coconut milk mixed with cow's milk (50:50) were developed and compared to fresh cheese made from cow's milk (100:0). Physicochemical analysis including pH, acidity, percentage of yield, protein and fat content, texture analysis and sensory evaluation has been performed. The nine-point hedonic preference test (n = 35) and consumer testing (n = 235) were conducted. Findings - In comparison, fresh cheese made with the presence of coconut milk (50:50) had higher fat content, lower crude protein content, higher firmness, and adhesiveness than those made from cow's milk alone (0:100). The cheese with the presence of coconut milk was liked better by consumers (7.35 out of 9). Rehydrated coconut milk was mostly preferred to use among all three types of coconut milk which showed firmer texture and admired flavor. The texture of the developed product was proved to be similar to commercial cottage cheese. Using the rehydrated coconut milk in the formulation gave successful results for making fresh coconut milk cheese, which has also not been used previously in any research. Research limitations/implications - In this paper, the effect of process conditions on the quality of cheese curd formation was not yet investigated and discussed. The process parameters including heat treatment and renneting time should be further studied. Originality/value - A novel fresh cheese made from coconut milk mixed with pasteurized cow's milk was successfully developed. The cheese curd was formed with fully coconut milk aroma and flavor.