Various properties of the herby cheese-like product obtained by substituting cow's milk with soy milk in different proportions

In this study, the production of Herby cheese-like products was carried out by mixing cow's milk, which is widely used in traditional cheese production, with plant-based soy milk in certain proportions. The aim of the research is to develop a new cheese product with both high nutritional value and functional properties by using plant and animal milk together and to evaluate the quality characteristics of this product. Five different Cheese samples were prepared using cow's milk and soy milk at 0, 25, 50, 75, 100% ratio during the production process, and then the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties of these samples were analyzed. After the cheese samples were produced, their analyses were performed on the first day and then vacuum packaging was performed and repeated analyses were performed on the 30th, 60th and 90th days. The data obtained from the analyses showed that adding soy milk to cow's milk had significant effects on the textural and chemical properties of the cheese. As the soy milk ratio increased, a relative decrease in the fat, protein, dry matter, ash, titratable acidity, proteolysis and hardness values of the cheese, a relative increase in the salt value and significant changes in the lipolysis and pH values were observed. In sensory evaluations, it was determined that when the soy milk contribution reached 50%, it negatively affected the flavor, texture and general liking characteristics of the cheese. As a result, it was observed that soy milk could be used with cow's milk up to a certain amount in the production of products similar to Herby cheese, and that using too much reduced the traditional flavor and nutritional components of Herbal cheese. Since soy milk does not contain cholesterol, lactose and is herbal, it was concluded that products that could appeal to different consumer groups could be obtained as a result of the development studies to be carried out with the use of this milk. The study showed that soy milk could contribute to sustainable and healthy food productions by revealing its potential for use in traditional dairy products.