Optimization of the Production Process of Soft Cheese from Camel Milk Using Linear Programming Technique

Abstract

It is widely reported that processing camel milk into cheese is a difficult one. In this study, soft white cheese was prepared using conventional cheese making methodology. A three way full factorial experimental design was employed taking cheese yield, fat content, moisture content and sensory quality of cheese as response variables and Total solid of milk, fat content and amount of coagulant (each at 2 levels) as the input variables. A linear programming technique was used to optimize the manufacturing process. Experimental results showed that, the average pH value of the whole milk is determined to be 6.65, titratable acidity 0.17 and specific gravity 1.029. The chemical analyses of whole camel milk on the other hand showed that, the average value of total solid is 10.55%, fat 3.6%, protein 2.49%, ash 0.79%, and Lactose 3.64%. Finally, the optimization result suggested that soft cheese of an acceptable quality and an adjusted cheese yield of 14.57% could be produced by adjusting the fat content of camel milk to 1.82%, total solid level to 14% and using rennet powder at a ratio of 1.5mg (100g)^-1.

Keywords: Camel milk, Soft cheese, Coagulant, Linear programming.