Milk cheeses.

The effect of freezing on the proteolysis and shelf life of caprine milk cheeses has not been extensively studied. So, scientists wanted to determine the effects of freezing and thawing on changes in the protein moieties of plain soft and Monterey Jack (MJ) goat milk cheeses.

They prepared two varieties of caprine cheeses in different batches: a commercially purchased plain soft variety and MJ cheeses manufactured at a university dairy pilot plant. The investigators did not find any statistical differences in the electrophoretic patterns of the proteins in the frozen-thawed cheeses, compared to the corresponding proteins found in the controls. Regardless of the extent of freezing and the amount of storage time, the soft cheeses exhibited eight distinctive bands of alpha-s2-, beta- and gamma 1-caseins, beta-lactoglobulin and some polypeptides degraded from caseins. The scientists indicate that freezing and thawing had little impact on protein degradation and the shelf life of the goat cheeses.

Contact: Sung Lee, Agricultural Research Station, Fort Valley State University, 1005 State University Dr., Fort Valley, GA 31030. Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Email: [e-mail].