Agriculture Business Week

Every time we talk about dairy products, the first thing that comes to the mind of most people is that these products were made from cattle milk. That is partly correct because – except white cheese and mozzarella – buffalo or carabao milk in the Philippines is not known to be processed into other dairy products.

The good news is that researchers of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) led by Mrs. Mina Abella have developed ways of processing buffalo milk yogurt, butter from buffalo milk, and ricotta cheese.

Yogurt is fermented milk with live good microorganisms that are beneficial to men. It has a smooth velvety texture with a mild tart taste. It can be plain and unsweetened or sweetened with natural fruits or synthetic flavors. The technology of making yogurt uses pasteurized buffalo milk inoculated with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. After inoculation, it is incubated at 40 to 45°C until its acidity reaches 0.7 to 0.9 percent lactic acid.

Yogurt is beneficial to human health, most especially to lactose intolerant individuals. It is an excellent source of calcium and protein. Natural unsweetened yogurt has the same nutritional value as the milk of which it has been made of.

The original butter from buffalo milk is perfectly white in color. Annatto coloring may be added to impart a yellow color. This butter has a smooth consistency and is easy to spread and melts readily on the tongue. It is soft and spreadable at room temperature and solidifies when cooled. It contains 80 to 85 percent fat, 15 to 17 percent moisture, and 0 to 3 percent salt.

Butter is produced by churning the cream with fat content of at least 30 percent. Agitation of the cream ruptures the membranes of the fat globules, which then come together to form butter granules. Buffalo milk is a good material for making butter because of its high fat content. One can produce l kilogram (kg) of butter from 10 kg of buffalo milk.

On the other hand, ricotta cheese is a soft unripened cheese made from whey. The cheese is milky and has fine grains, and a little sweet taste. It has 6 to 8 percent fat and 70 to 75 percent moisture.

Ricotta cheese is a byproduct of cheese making. The technology uses whey from kesong puti, mozzarella cheese or other cheeses. Ricotta is coagulated with a combination of acid and heat. When the whey reaches 80 to 90°C, add the acid until the ibaterial coagulates. Fluffy curds will float at the top. Scoop the curds into a draining bag or tray lined with cheese cloth. Pack the cheese when it has become sufficiently dry. Also, the cheese can be made by combining with buffalo milk for higher yield and creamier taste.

Mina and her co-workers said ricotta cheese can be used as follows: filling for pasta dishes; layer for lasagna, spreads and dips; in making cheesecakes; to complement the flavor and texture of eggs in scrambled eggs and omelets; can be incorporated into breads, muffins, and pancakes to provide moistness; and can be melted into cream sauces to provide viscosity.

According to Mina and her co-workers, here’s how the dairy products can be made.

BUFFALO MILK YOGURT

Heat Treatment
• Heat the milk to a temperature of 90 to 95°C for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Use double boiler to prevent scorching.

Cooling of Milk
• Cool down the milk to 40 to 45°C with running water.

Inoculation
• Add newly propagated starter culture of Streptococcus thermophihn and Lactobacillus bulgaricus at the rate of 2 to 3 percent.

Incubation
• Incubate filled containers at 40 to 45°C for two to four hours until a firm coagulation is formed or until the acidity of yogurt is 0.7 to 0.9 percent as lactic acid.
• It is also possible to incubate at room temperature (28 – 32°C) for 16 to 20 hours with an incubation rate of 0.5 to 1 percent.
• Do not disturb the yogurt during incubation.

Cooling
• After incubation, immediately cool down the yogurt to 2 to 4°C.

Packaging
• Use clean and sanitized yogurt containers.
• For set yogurt, pack it before incubation.
• For stirred yogurt, fruit preserves and purees may be added to the yogurt before filling into retail plastic containers.

Storage
• Yogurt will be kept for two to three weeks at refrigerated temperature (24°C).

More Hints in Yogurt Making
• Use clean sterilized utensils.
• Any trace of antibiotic or detergent will destroy yogurt culture.
• Mild or tart flavor depends on the rate of inoculation, time of incubation, and refrigeration.
• Whey separation can be prevented by subjecting the milk to severe heat treatment or by adding stabilizers like gelatin or pectin.

BUTTER FROM BUFFALO MILK
• Pasteurize milk at 72°C for 15 seconds.

Cream Separation
• Cream from the milk can be separated either by gravity or by mechanical method.

Gravity method. Let the cream flow to the top of the milk after storing i r_ refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.

Mechanical method. Separate cream: using a cream separator.

Churning
• Place the cold cream (5-10°C) in a butter churner and agitate cream until butter granules are formed. This takes about 5 to 10 minutes. A blender may be used as a churner.

Draining and Washing
• Drain the liquid portion (this is the buttermilk) produced after churning.
• Wash the butter granules with chilled clean water (5-10°C) and knead until residual buttermilk is removed.
• Repeat the second step three to five times or until the wash water becomes, clear.

Coloring and Salting
• For a yellowish color, add annatto coloring 1 ml per kg butter.
• Salt may be added at 1 to 3 percent to improve flavor and shelf life.

Packaging and Storage
• Pack butter in plastic containers and keep refrigerated or frozen.

RICOTTA CHEESE
Whey Preparation
• Filter freshly collected whey from cheese making.
• If the whey is acidic, like whey from mozzarella cheese making, add 10 percent calcium hydroxide solution (about 10 to 15 ml per liter of whey).
• Buffalo milk may be added to the whey at 10 to 20 percent.

Heating
• Heat whey or whey milk mixture to a temperature of 85 to 90°C or until curds float (this is the ricotta cheese).
• You may add several drops of vinegar or citric acid solution to get more curds.

Draining of Whey
• Scoop out curds and drain in a slotted tray lined with cloth until sufficiently dry.

Packaging and Storage
• Salt or sugar may be added to ricotta cheese.
• Pack in plastic containers with cover.
• Keep refrigerated or frozen.