Using recombinant camel chymosin to make white soft cheese from camel milk

Area of Science:

• Dairy Science
• Food Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Bovine chymosin in rennet is ineffective for coagulating camel milk.
• Camel milk possesses unique properties requiring specific enzymatic solutions for cheesemaking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To produce cheese curd from camel milk using a recombinant camel chymosin.
• To characterize the physicochemical properties and yield of soft cheese produced from camel milk.
• To analyze the whey composition from camel milk cheese.

Main Methods:

• Pasteurized camel milk was coagulated using a recombinant camel chymosin at 50 IMCU/kg.
• Physicochemical analysis of soft cheese (moisture, protein, fat, ash) was performed.
• Cheese yield and whey composition were compared between cultured and non-cultured camel milk.

Main Results:

• Camel milk cheese produced using recombinant camel chymosin exhibited 51.89% moisture, 15.62% protein, 20.21% fat, and 2.47% ash.
• Cultured camel milk yielded significantly higher cheese (8.75%) compared to non-cultured (3.34%).
• Camel milk cheese whey retained substantial amounts of fat (48.94%) and protein (76.80%) from the original milk.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first report on soft cheeses made from cultured and non-cultured camel milk using recombinant camel chymosin.
• Camel milk cheese and its whey represent potential value-added dairy products.
• Recombinant camel chymosin is effective for coagulating camel milk, enabling novel dairy product development.