Experimental Studies on the Siirt Herby Tulum Cheese: II. Evaluation of a New Industrial Process Model

This study was conducted to test a process that we had previously developed in parallel to the traditional Siirt Herby Cheese production method. Both raw and pasteurized Eve's milk were used parallelly in the study. Pasteurized milk was inoculated with an autochthonous starter culture which we have developed. After clot formation, breaking the clot, straining and acidification of curd by using acid whey, first pressing, adding herb and salt, and applying the second pressing stages were followed. Then, the cheese samples were packaged. No air gap was presented in the cheese containers. The entire production was completed within 24 hours. During the 120-d ripening period of the samples at 4 °C, pH was observed to be 5 and acidity was 0.7% (lactic acid). In raw milk cheese, pH was 6.8 and acidity was 1.12% at the end of the ripening period. It was determined that the method tested in this study was not recommendable for making raw milk cheese. The pasteurized milk cheese samples had at least 0.7 acidity, 5 pH, 20% fat and 20% protein; It was observed that at least 45% dry matter values could be obtained. However, the pasteurized milk cheese samples did not fully meet our expectations. The crumbling property of the cheese samples was not ideal just seen in the tradiditonal Tulum Cheeses of Türkiye. The slightly sticky and melted appearance was considered a negative property of the cheese and should be eliminated with more detailed work. Traditional production takes at least 10 d. This period may be long for industrial production. Raw milk is used in traditional production, and excessive salt is added to the cheese for hygiene purposes. Also, it is not easy to make a standard production. More research is needed to eliminate such negativities, and to recommend a valuable industrial process.