Flavor and Texture of Cottage Cheese Made by Direct-Acid-Set and Culture Methods ¹

Consumers were asked to indicate a flavor and texture preference for one of two creamed and salted small-curd cottage cheeses made by direct-acid-set or conventional short-set culture methods. When a commercial starter distillate flavor was added to direct-acid-set cheese, its flavor and texture were preferred over cheese made by the culture method. Conversely, when flavor was not added to the direct-acid-set cheese, consumers preferred the flavor and texture of the cultured product. Differences among mean flavor or texture scores of three age groups were not significant (< 20, 20-40, > 40). Preferences for texture appeared to be biased by flavor.