The effect of different production methods on quality parameters of Hatay künefe cheese

In this study, Künefe cheeses were produced with four different production methods used in Hatay: Fresh Künefe cheese, Pipe (Block) Type Kunefe cheese, Chestnut Type (Salted) Kunefe cheese and Culture Added Melted Kunefe cheese, and the cheeses examined in terms of physical, chemical, textural and sensory properties. According to the results obtained, the impact of using different production methods was determined statistically significant (p<0.05) on the yield, pH, titratable acidity, dry matter, fat, fat in dry matter, total nitrogen, protein, protein in dry matter, salt, salt in dry matter, outer surface L*, a*, b*, hardness, chewiness, meltability values, appearance, structure, smell, taste and total acceptability scores. As a result of the sensory analysis, it was determined that the Culture Added Melted Künefe cheese had the highest score in terms of total acceptability scores, followed by Fresh Künefe cheese, Pipe Type Künefe cheese, and Chestnut Type Künefe cheese.