New Insights in Cheese Yield Capacity Between Italian Brown and Italian Friesian Milks in the Production of High Moisture Mozzarella

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of k-casein B content in milk on the yield of high moisture mozzarella cheese. The study was carried out by monitoring the production of 8 Mozzarella cheese batches at 4 cheese making factories. At each factory, two cheese making trials were performed in parallel: one using bulk milk from Italian Brown cattle and the other using bulk milk from Italian Friesian cattle. The average k-casein B content was 0.04 g per 100 g in the Italian Friesian milk, whereas it was four time higher in the Italian Brown milk, reaching values of 0.16 g per 100 g. Both the k-casein content and k-casein B to casein ratio were positively correlated with actual cheese yield. Both parameters showed correlation coefficient values over 0.9, higher than for any other protein fraction. The increase of yield connected to the level of k-casein should be connected to smaller and more homogeneous micelles, with more efficient rennet coagulation. Consequently, milk with higher k-casein B content produces a more elastic curd that bears better the technological treatments and limits losses during curd mincing and stretching. In conclusion, the Italian Brown milk used, characterized by higher k-casein content than the Italian Friesian one, allowed a yield increase of about 2.65 %, which is a very relevant result for both farms and cheese making factories.