Improving Curd-Forming Properties of Homogenized Milk

Authors

R. B. Maxcy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
W. V. Price, University of Wisconsin, Madison
D. M. Irvine, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Date of this Version

1955

Comments

Published in JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE 38 (1955), pp. 80-86. Copyright 1955. Used by permission.

Abstract

Homogenizing milk for cheese reduces fat losses in the whey (6, 9, 12) and decreases leakage of fat from cheese stored at high temperatures (6, 11). Homogenization of milk influences its curd-forming properties with rennet. Trout (10) has reviewed this subject thoroughly. Gel strength is reduced and rate of coagulation is increased. Reduction in gel strength is directly related to the effectiveness of homogenizing.
Apparently no single explanation of the mechanism responsible for the lowering of gel strength by homogenization of the milk has been commonly accepted. One possibility is the adsorption of proteins on the newly created fat surfaces. Another suggestion is that fat disrupts the continuity of gel structure and that increasing the number of fat globules therefore increases the number of weak points.