Changes in the physical and chemical properties of Kargı tulum cheese during maturation

Kargı Tulum cheese is a type of cheese produced traditionally in summer from sheep, goat, cow or buffalo milk and their mixtures in the high altitude plateaus in the Kargı district of Çorum, and is ripened and marketed in the autumn. After the cheeses are ripened in cloth sacks, before sale, they are filled into skins obtained from sheep and lamb. There are limited studies on Kargı Tulum cheese and the events that occur during the ripening process of this cheese have not been previously investigated. Within the scope of this study, the chemical, textural and proteolytic properties of Kargı Tulum cheeses were determined during the ripening process (15th, 60th, 90th, 120th day) and before sale (270th day). During the ripening, acidity of the samples increased and the amount of fat, protein and salt in the samples increased with the increase in dry matter due to dehydration. Some variations were also observed in the fat ratio which was due to the mixing of products made on different dates in the sacks and the use of milk with different fat ratios without standardization. During the ripening process, water soluble and non-protein nitrogen values and deformation index increased until the 60th day, remained stable between 60-120 days and then increased again. Due to the use of traditional methods in the production of Kargı Tulum cheese, which is one of our valuable cultural heritage, standard products cannot be obtained in every production. Standardization of composition and especially fat ratios in production is important in order to obtain products with more standardized quality.