Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of heat treatment of milk on the quality characteristics of Jibna-beida (white cheese). The heat treatment methods used included pasteurization of cow milk at 65 degrees C for 30 min, and boiling of cow milk at 102 degrees C for 15 min. The microbiological analysis indicated that raw milk contained high counts of total viable microbes, coliforms, staphylococci, yeast and mould. However, all these microbial groups were highly reduced in pasteurized and boiled milk. Jibna-beida was prepared using the three types of milk: raw, pasteurized and boiled. The raw milk cheese contained: 43.0% moisture, 12.5% ash, 20.16% protein and 56.48% total soluble solids, while the pasteurized milk cheese contained: 50.9% moisture, 10.5% ash, 17.63% protein and 48.76% total soluble solids and the boiled milk cheese contained: 48.5% moisture, 13.4% ash, 15.4% protein and 55.75% total soluble solids. During storage, the pH of all cheese samples decreased and the acidity increased. The microbiological analysis of the three types of cheese indicated that the microbial load of raw milk cheese was higher when compared with those of pasteurized and boiled milk cheeses. The sensory evaluation revealed acceptance of the three types of cheeses with preference to the raw milk cheese than the other two types of cheese.