Investigation of vegetable oil (palm oil) use in kashar cheese production

The aim of this study is to investigate the usage of palm oil as vegetable oil in kashar cheese production and to determine the basic physicochemical, textural and sensory differences between naturally/legally produced kashars and adultrated kashars. In this study, kashar cheese containing palm oil was produced with three different formulations and stored for 90 days. During storage of kashar cheese, fat, dry matter, salt, pH, titratable acidity, texture profile analysis (TPA), colour and sensory analysis were conducted. Additionally, β-sitosterol content was analzyed which is a marker of vagatable addition in kashar cheese. Results showed that β-sitosterol content was in the detectable range. No oil seperation was detected in the cheese groups during the storage period. There was not significant difference in sensory evaluations of cheeses produced with different formulations. In conclusion, despite of containing vegetable oil, kashar cheeses meeting food standards in terms of basic quality criteria were produced.