The texture and microstructure of Kradi cheese, an indigenous fresh unripened cheese of Jammu and Kashmir, India, were studied. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) for hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, chewiness and resilience between samples from four different market areas. The optimised products made in the laboratory from cultures NCDC‐167 and NCDC‐144 showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in the textural and mechanical properties of tensile strength. The microstructure of the market samples was distinguished by the greater size of the voids present in three‐dimensional casein network. The optimised laboratory product had a more compact and fibrous structure compared to the market samples, which was attributed to its higher protein content.

The standard practices for indirectly assessing the pasteurization status of milk products are primarily based on the thermal in activation kinetics of the endogenous milk enzyme, alkaline Phosphatase (ALP).This review provides an invaluable, tool for both regulatory and in house process control and validation. Endogenous milk ALP manifests a slightly higher heat resistance than the pathogenic micro flora upon which pasteurization time and temperature requirements are based. Therefore, ALP activity is recognized and accepted as the method of choice for the rapid validation of milk product pasteurization. However, ALP assays have notable limitations that must be understood if they are to be administered and interpreted correctly and the results are to be applied judiciously. Issues such as the reactivation of heat denatured ALP and the presence of both heat stable and labile microbial ALP are addressed. A discussion of ALP in the milk of non-bovine speciesis presented based on the limited literature available. Also brief discussion of research involving alternative pasteurization indicators is presented. This review article is intended to summarize the pertinent details of the ALP assay for dairy products (considering the basis and limitations of various methods) and the processing, handling, and known compositional factors that influence the assay results.

Kradi cheese is manufactured by coagulation of naturally fermented butter milk containing different strains of lactic acid bacteria. In this study lactic acid bacterial strains were isolated from kradi cheese and screened for exopolysaccharide potential. The taxonomic group of the exopolysaccharide producing lactic acid bacterial strains was determined on the basis of their 16S rRNA sequences. Nine strains were shown to produce exopolysaccharides in MRS medium with sucrose. Four strains belonged to lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and five strains to Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris species. Isolated strains showed varied yield of exopolysaccharides. The exopolysaccharides had high molecular mass of 1500 kDa and glucose was dominant in their monomer composition.

In this study effect of vacuum packaging and storage time on chewiness of kradi cheese stored at 25°C, 5°C and -20°C for different periods was studied. It was observed that both vacuum packaging and storage time had an influence on chewiness of cheese. At 25°C storage temperature initial chewiness of 52.41 N.mm in vacuum packed samples decreased to 33.24 N.mm on 20 th day whereas in normal packed samples it decreased to 23.11 N.mm on 15 th day of storage. At 5°C of storage temperature, the initial chewiness of 52.41 N.mm in vacuum packed samples decreased to 17.21 N.mm till 16 th week of storage while in normal packed samples it decreased to 17.45 N.mm till 14 th week of storage. At -20°C decrease in chewiness was very slow as compared to refrigeration temperature. At -20°C chewiness of kradi cheese was better maintained than at refrigeration temperature of 5°C in vacuum packaging and the product can be stored for long time at -20°C in vacuum packaging. Chewiness decreased more in normal packed samples than vacuum packed samples. The vacuum packaging retarded chewiness changes in comparison to normal packaging. Vacuum packaging of kradi cheese exhibited possibility of preserving kradi cheese for longer time as compared to normal packaging.

This study investigated changes in chemical properties of kradi cheese stored under vacuum and normal conditions at 5 o C at weekly intervals for a period of fourteen weeks. The initial moisture content of 49.09 % in normal packed samples decreased to 48.34 % while in vacuum packed samples it decreased to 48.31 % at 14 th week of storage. The drop in initial pH was small in both vacuum packed and normal packed samples. The decrease in acidity was small in vacuum packed samples than normal packed samples. Fat leakage was less under vacuum packaging. The initial free fatty acid content of 0.93 meq/g in normal packed samples increased to 17.9 meq/g while in vacuum packed samples it increased to 21.31 meq/g on 14 th week of storage. The initial tyrosine value of 0.013 µg 5ml-1 in normal packed samples increased to 5.25 µg 5ml-1 while in vacuum packed samples it increased to 4.93 µg 5ml-1 on 14 th week of storage. The vacuum packaging retarded increase in acidity in comparison to normal packaging.