Improving the quality properties of Camembert-type soft cheese produced from camel-goat milk blends using camel rennet

Abstract The effects of addition of either 10% (v/v) or 20% (v/v) goat milk to camel milk on its coagulation by a dromedary enzymes extract and on different indicators of Camembert-type soft cheese produced thereof were investigated. Camel milk alone produced a fragile curd, a crumbly cheese, and an unsatisfactory cheese structure, a finding confirmed by rheological measurements which showed that the ideal renneting pH was 6. After 12 days of ripening, physicochemical properties were similar among treatments (p > 0.05). Proteolysis indices were significantly lower in cheeses containing goat milk, indicating reduced protein breakdown (p < 0.01). Saturated fatty acids remained dominant, but goat milk supplementation increased omega-3 content and improved the ω6/ω3 ratio from 8.0 in camel milk cheese to 1.77 in cheese containing 20% goat milk (p < 0.05). Sensory evaluation revealed significantly higher scores for texture, aroma and overall acceptability in cheeses with 20% goat milk (p < 0.05).