Effect of curd freezing on the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of Crottin de Chavignol type lactic goat cheese

WOS: 000229909200012In this research, the effect of freezing the fresh curd on the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of Crottin de Chavignol type lactic goat cheese, one of the traditional French cheeses, was investigated. Trials were made by using two different starter combinations: N - Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis + Lc. lactic subs. cremoris(LC Mix F02-01) and DL - Lc. lactis subsp. lactis + Lc. lactic subs. cremoris + Lc. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis + Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris (LC Mix FZ 2-22). For both cheese groups, half of the curd was directly processed into cheese while the other part was frozen at -25 degrees C and stored for 3 months at the same temperature and then processed into cheese following the same procedure as for the fresh curd. Cheeses were sampled for physicochemical and microbiological analyses on the 1(st), 7(th), 20(th) and 30(th) day. Freezing process had significant effects on titratable acidity, dry matter, hardness index, water soluble nitrogen and 12%TCA soluble nitrogen values. Freezing caused 2 log units reduction in total lactic acid bacteria count