Characteristics of Mozzarella Cheese Supplemented with Durian Pulp

The aims of this research were to: 1) study the optimal basic formula for mozzarella cheese, 2) study the optimal amount of durian pulp to be added to the selected basic mozzarella cheese, and 3) study the physical, chemical, and microbial properties of both the basic mozzarella cheese formula and the mozzarella cheese with added durian pulp. A consumer acceptance assessment of three variations of the basic mozzarella cheese formula showed that Form 2 received the highest scores from evaluators in terms of appearance, color, aroma, taste, texture, and overall liking, with average scores of 7.20, 7.70, 7.60, 7.80, 7.55, and 7.80, respectively. Durian pulp was subsequently added to the selected Form 2 mozzarella cheese at four different levels: 0% (control), 5%, 10%, and 15% of the weight of raw cow’s milk. Consumer acceptance evaluations revealed that mozzarella cheese with 10% durian pulp had the highest average scores for appearance, color, aroma, taste, texture, and overall liking, with scores of 8.00, 8.05, 7.95, 7.90, 8.03, and 8.23, respectively. An investigation of the physical characteristics of both the basic mozzarella cheese and the mozzarella cheese with 10% durian pulp revealed that the basic mozzarella cheese had lower brightness (L*) and stretchability but higher color intensity in terms of redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) than the mozzarella cheese with 10% durian pulp. In terms of chemical quality, the mozzarella cheese with 10% durian pulp had slightly lower energy content, protein, fat, and ash values, but higher carbohydrate and moisture content compared to the basic mozzarella cheese. Regarding microbiological quality, both formulations had microbial amounts in accordance with the specified standards. According to the Ministry of Public Health’s standards, set by Notification of the Ministry of Public Health (No.209) B.E.2543 (2000) Re: Prescribing the quality or standard, principles, conditions and methods of analysis for pathogenic microorganisms in foods.