Effect of milk preacidification on low fat mozzarella cheese: II. Chemical and functional properties during storage

The effect of milk preacidification on cheese manufacturing, chemical properties, and functional properties of low fat Mozzarella cheese was determined. Four vats of cheese were made in 1 d using no preacidification (control), preacidification to pH 6.0 and pH 5.8 with acetic acid, and preacidification to pH 5.8 with citric acid. This process was replicated four times. Modifications in the typical Mozzarella manufacturing procedures were necessary to accommodate milk preacidification. The chemical composition of the cheeses was similar among the treatments, except the calcium content and calcium as a percentage of protein were lower in the preacidified treatments. During refrigerated storage, the chemical and functional properties of low fat Mozzarella were affected the most by milk preacidification to pH 5.8 with citric acid. The amount of expressible serum, unmelted cheese whiteness, initial unmelted hardness, and initial apparent viscosity were lower with preacidification. The reduction in initial unmelted cheese hardness and initial apparent viscosity in the pH 5.8 citric treatments represents an improvement in the quality of low fat Mozzarella cheese that allows the cheese to have better pizza bake characteristics with shorter time of refrigerated storage.