Determination of some properties of traditional mihalic cheese made from raw and pasteurized cow's milk during ripening period

Mihalic cheese, salty, eye formed and semi-hard, is generally consumed after 90-day ripening period. In this study, two types of Mihalic cheese were produced in accordance with traditional techniques. One type of Mihalic cheese was made from pasteurized milk with starter cultures and the other type of Mihalic cheese was made from raw milk as a control cheese group. Changes in the chemical (moisture, non-fat dry matter, fat, protein, salt, titratable acidity and pH) and microbiological (total coliform bacteria [TCB], total aerobic mesophilic bacteria [TAMB], total mesophilic lactic acid bacteria [TMLAB], total thermophilic lactic acid bacteria [TTLAB], total mould-yeast [TMY], total propionic acid bacteria [TPAB] and total psychrophilic bacteria [TPB]) properties of Mihalic cheese made from raw and pasteurized cow's milk were analyzed in different stages of 90-day ripening period. The numbers of TMY and TCB were decreased significantly in 90-day ripening period. TTLAB were the dominant microflora in all cheese samples. The high NaCl content of the cheeses was the main agent and regulated the microbial survival. The results can be recommended that effective pasteurization of raw milk is essential to minimize microbial load in manufacture of Mihalic cheese. Also, standardization of Mihalic cheese is necessary for industrial production. © IDOSI Publications, 2013.