The influence of milk, additives and technology on the chemical composition and sensory properties of Trapist cheese

The paper describes the Trapist cheese production trials in the "Mlekoprodukt" Dairy in Zrenjanin, Serbia. The cheese-making milk was produced on the "Agroklek" Dairy Farm, and Trapist cheese was manufactured using Trapist technology. In the trials two types of mesophilic starter culture and two types of rennet (animal and microbial) were used. The obtained cheese underwent two different ripening processes: with applied protective coating, and in a vacuum foil. The cheese chemical composition was analysed after 60 and 90 days of ripening. After that its sensory characteristics were also evaluated. The cheese analysis established that dry matter content - fat, ash, protein, total nitrogen, soluble and insoluble nitrogen, pH value, and coefficient of ripening in cheese with protective coating were higher when compared with the cheese packed in a vacuum foil during ripening. The analysis also established that the content of fat in dry matter in cheese, and the contents of water in fat-free matter, sodium-chloride, calcium, and acid based titration for the cheese with the applied protective coating were lower when compared with the relevant contents in cheeses in a vacuum foil during ripening. Trapist cheese manufactured using the FD-DVS CH-N 11 (CHR HANSEN, Denmark) starter culture, and Caglificio Clerici (Italy) animal rennet, achieved the highest quality grade. The cheeses with the applied protective coating had better sensory properties when compared with cheeses packed in a vacuum foil.