Effect of different production methods on quality parameters of Hatay Künefe cheese

We investigated four different production methods of Künefe cheese, emphasizing their industrial importance. The four methods used fresh Künefe cheese (FKC), salted Künefe cheese (SKC), Boru type Künefe cheese (BKC) and culture-added processed Künefe cheese (CPKC), all used in the production of Künefe, a syrupy dessert unique to the Middle East. FKC was produced as a result of curd formation from raw milk with rennet and then the fermentation of curd. SKC was manufactured using the salting method in addition to FKC production. BKC was obtained using the dry cooking process with emulsifying salts applied to cheese curd. CPKC was produced by applying heat treatment to raw milk and using starter culture before adding rennet that was different to Boru-type Künefe cheese. The composition, color, meltability, texture and sensory properties of the Künefe cheeses were examined. As a result of statistical analysis, it was determined that the effect of different production methods on the composition, meltability, texture (except springiness and cohesiveness) and sensory properties was significant in all cheeses (P < 0.05). CKPC was the most appropriate cheese in various properties.