Study on the elasticity of cheese mozzarella for pizza, elaborated with milk of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate elasticity in the mozzarella of buffalo cow milk for pizza, manufactured with two different sorts of coagulants: bovine curd (80% pepsin and 20% chymosin) and the fungal coagulant agent (mucorpepsin), obtained from the fermentation of fungus Mucor miehei, with three temperatures de stretching (75ºC, 85ºC and 95ºC) and four stabilization periods (7, 17, 27 and 35 days) after the process de stretching. The results obtained presented no significant differences between the temperatures of stretching water and the sorts of coagulant utilized, they only presented differences between the stabilization periods (p<0.01). The results found can be explained by the likely action of proteolysis on the protein matrix of the cheeses over the stabilization time. Therefore, the mozzarella cheeses for pizza manufactured from buffalo cow milk need of a minimal stabilization period of twenty-one days under refrigeration at 9ºC, for them to have a functional characteristic of acceptable elasticity.