The Texture of Camel Milk Cheese: Effects of Milk Composition, Coagulants, and Processing Conditions

Abstract

Numerous people in African, Middle Asian, Middle Eastern, and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries highly value camel milk (CM) as it plays a vital role in their diet. The protein composition of CM as well as the structure of its casein micelles differs significantly from bovine milk (BM). Cheeses made from CM have a weak curd and soft texture compared to those made from BM. This review article presents and discusses the effect of milk protein composition, processing conditions (pasteurization and high-pressure treatment), and coagulants (camel chymosin, organic acids, plant proteases) on the quality of CM cheeses. CM cheese's weak texture is due to compositional characteristics of the milk, including low κ-casein-to-β-casein ratio (≈0.05 in CM vs. ≈0.33 in BM), large micelle size, different whey protein components, and higher proteolytic activity than BM. CM cheese texture can be improved by preheating the milk at low temperatures or by high pressure. Supplementing CM with calcium has shown inconsistent results on cheese texture, which may be due to interactions with other processing conditions. Despite their structure, CM cheeses are generally well liked in sensory studies.

Comparison of quality properties of pasteurized milk‐based camel cheese depending on calf rennet concentration and microbial transglutaminase

“…Their study shows that camel chymosin (50 IMCU/L milk) results in higher hardness values in camel cheese than the use of 30% citric acid (Mbye et al . 2022). Results of springiness also reflect the effect of rennet on MTG preparations.…”

Camel Milk: Antimicrobial Agents, Fermented Products, and Shelf Life

“…CM lacks β-lactoglobulin and contains much lower levels of κ-casein and much higher levels of α-lactalbumin compared to BM [33]. K-casein is an essential protein for making cheese [34], and β-lactoglobulin is crucial for the hardness of yogurt [33]. The differences in the composition of CM proteins and BM proteins are presumed to be the main reason for the difficulty in obtaining solid cheese, thick curd, and yogurt from CM [19].…”

Innovative Approach of Cheese Making from Camel Milk: A Review

“…Milk is believed to be the most essential product obtained from dairy animals including camel (Dromedary), being a complete food, helps to provide a nutritious and balanced diet to nomadic desert people under harsh conditions [1,2]. Many people give a great value to camel milk because it is essential to their nutrition in the Gulf Cooperation Council, Middle East, Middle Asian, and African nations [3]. Additionally, it has been claimed that camel milk helps households in pastoral areas to generate cash, ensure food security, and provide health benefits [4].…”