Investigation of physical and biochemical changes of kashar cheese during the storage period

The aim of this study is to investigate the physical and biochemical changes that occur during the storage period of fresh kashar cheese at four different storage temperatures. Kashar cheese samples were stored for 105 days at 5°C, 15°C, 25°C and 37°C after vacuum packaging. During the storage period, effect of storage time and temperature on moisture, pH, protein, water soluble nitrogen, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) soluble nitrogen contents, lipid oxidation and color values of kashar cheese were evaluated. Storage time and temperature significantly changed the moisture content of kashar cheese and also the interaction between temperature and time were significantly affected the moisture content (P<0.05). Storage time and temperature significantly affected the pH of kashar cheese (P<0.05). Increasing the storage time and temperature increased the protein, water soluble nitrogen and TCA soluble nitrogen contents of kashar cheese samples (P<0.05). The storage time significantly changed the amount of malondialdeyde (MDA) values of kashar cheese (P<0.05) whereas temperature did not effect (P>0.05). Storage at low temperatures had a positive effect on color values, but high temperatures caused deterioration in shape and color. Considering all the results, kashar cheese is physically and biochemically affected by the temperature and time during the storage process. Key Words: Kashar Cheese, Storage, Physical Change, Biochemical Change, Lipid Oxidation