Cheese Slurry in the Acceleration of Cephalotyre "Ras" Cheese Ripening

A method has been adopted for the acceleration of Cephalotyre "Ras" cheese ripening. Ras cheese slurry incubated at 30° C for 7 d was added to cheese milk before addition of the starter or to the cheese curd before hooping. Flavor development. protein degradation and fat hydrolysis were enhanced in cheeses with added slurry. Moreover, the ripening period was reduced to 2 months compared with 4 months required for the control cheese. The effect of cheese slurry was more remarkable when it was added to the curd.