Storable Cheese Curd—Effect of Milk Homogenization as a Pre-treatment and Freezing and Extrusion of Cheese Curd on Production of Pasta Filata Style Cheese

This study investigates the production of pasta filata style cheese from a storable, frozen intermediate material. Homogenization (2–16 MPa, single-staged) of milk (fat/protein = 0.9) was used as a tool to decrease fat globule size and consequently fat losses. Plasticization was achieved by using a single-screw extruder set up with double-jacketed hot water cycle. Non-frozen and frozen cheese curd as well as the extruded pasta filata style cheese pre-treated with different homogenization pressure was analyzed regarding the thermo-rheological properties. Fat and protein gain/loss during extrusion was evaluated by analyzing fat in dry matter (FDM) and protein in dry matter (PDM) before and after extrusion. Homogenization of cheese milk leads to a reduction of tan δ for thereof produced raw cheese curd material as well as the extruded products. Freezing and extrusion counteract the reduction of tan δ. A homogenization pressure of 8 MPa is sufficient to prevent fat losses during extrusion while still maintaining plasticization of the product for fresh and frozen material, respectively. The FDM after extrusion is 0.8% higher for fresh material and 4.9% higher for frozen material, which means that the fat concentrates during extrusion due to water loss. Moreover, there is no loss of PDM for all samples, regardless of the homogenization pressure. A combination of homogenization pressure, freezing, and extrusion leads to a plasticizable product without losses of fat and protein. Hence, frozen cheese curd can be used as a storable intermediate.