Chemical composition and microbial quality of Datshi and Zoety, unripen cottage cheese of Bhutan

Abstract

Datshi is a type of cottage cheese in Bhutan that is traditionally made using an indigenous process and is commonly made from cow's milk. It is a naturally fermented milk product made using the "backslopping" process, which involves inoculating the new batch with the previous batch's fermented milk product (Tamang et al., 2016). It is a partially defatted cheese made from fermented milk that has been churned to remove the fat as butter. It is made from buttermilk that has been gently heated over an open flame. The heating causes caseins to coagulate, which is then collected and squeezed to eliminate extra whey before being rolled into appropriate-sized cheese balls (BAFRA, 2017;Rai et al., 2016). The texture is comparable to cottage cheese, with minute granules of coagulated casein and a mild flavor (Figure 1); however, unlike other cottage cheeses, it does not contain additional salt (Pozzobon & Pozzobon, 2019).Datshi is widely produced and consumed on a daily basis (Shangpliang et al., 2017). Bhutanese of all ages enjoy it, and it holds a particular position in Bhutanese cuisine. The name of the cheese used in the famous Bhutanese cuisine "emadatsi," which is a curry with chiles and cheese, and comes from the cheese used (Rai et al., 2016). Bhutan produced 3953 metric tons of Datshi in 2018 (DOL, 2018), which was used domestically. Bhutan currently does not export its cheese since local demand outweighs supply (Joshi & Gurung, 2009). The majority of the milk produced is turned into butter and cheese, which are staples in Bhutanese cuisine (Joshi & Gurung, 2009). According to the Department of Livestock (DOL) figures, 74% of the milk produced in 2018 was utilized in the production