An optimized process of Indian farmstead artisanal cheese: Value addition for increased farm income

Abstract

Taking cues from the success of homemade traditional cheeses in the western countries, the current project aimed at investigating whether cheesemaking principles can be adapted in the Indian rural environments and applied to make artisanal farmstead cheeses. Standard cheesemaking protocol was modified to suit Indian farmstead conditions using raw material, equipment and implements that are easily available on the farms. Standardised cow milk and locally available starters were used. The process modification included varying the cooking temperature and brining time. Optimization was achieved by using Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for evaluation of individual and interactive effects of different factors. On the basis of the sensory (flavour, body and texture) and physico-chemical (moisture, salt) responses, the levels cooking temperatures and brining time selected were 40-50°C and 8-12 hours, respectively. The optimised product contained 45.85% moisture, 54.16% total solids, 29.58% fat, 22.34% protein, 2.83% ash, 1.05% salt, 0.04% lactose, 54.44% fat in dry matter respectively. The sensory evaluation results indicated that cheese of acceptable quality could be made by the optimised technique and can be transferred to dairy farmers to make small scale artisanal cheeses at farm levels. The long term goal was to provide an impetus to the farmer for value addition, product diversification and enhanced farm income.