G.O. Egigba

The increasing global demand for plant-based dairy alternatives has stimulated
research into non-dairy cheese analogues derived from underutilized crops. This
study evaluated the chemical composition and sensory characteristics of mozzarella and cheddar-type cheeses produced from tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) milk using three coagulants: vinegar, lemon extract, and tamarind extract. A 3x 2 factorial design resulting in six (6) treatment combinations was adopted. The treatments included mozzarella and cheddar cheeses coagulated with vinegar, lemon, and tamarind extract respectively. Proximate composition, mineral composition, pH, and sensory properties were determined using standard analytical procedures. The pH values ranged from 4.870 to 5.985, with cheddar cheeses generally exhibiting higher pH values than mozzarella cheeses. Moisture content ranged from 73.10% to 77.53%, while crude protein varied from 1.875% to 2.450%. Ether extract ranged from 3.395% to 4.165%, and ash content ranged from 0.465% to 1.105%. Mineral analysis revealed calcium values between 231.5 and 311.3 mg/kg, magnesium values between 115.5 and 244.2 mg/kg, and phosphorus values between 556.1 and 1254.9 mg/kg. Sensory evaluation showed that
mozzarella cheese coagulated with tamarind extract recorded the highest overall
acceptability score (3.722), while cheddar cheese coagulated with lemon extract
recorded the lowest score (2.944). The findings demonstrated that tiger nut milk can be successfully utilized in the production of acceptable vegan cheese analogues with desirable nutritional and sensory qualities. Tamarind extract proved to be the most effective coagulant in improving both nutritional composition and consumer acceptability.

Cheese is a dairy product made from pressed milk curds produced mainly from animal milk throughout the world where animal production is available. It is a nutritious food and one of the numerous products from the processing of milk of cows, goats, sheep, buffalos, camels and yaks. It is produced by coagulation of the milk protein known as casein. Cheese is an important milk product with milk nutrients having good storage properties with increased shelf life. This study investigated the potential of using different coagulants - vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, and unripe papaya pulp in the production of goat milk cheese. The proximate composition, mineral content, and sensory attributes of Mozzarella and Cream Cheese produced with these coagulants were analyzed and studied in the laboratory. The proximate composition analysis revealed significant differences in the moisture content (MC), crude protein (CP), crude fat (CF), and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) among the different treatments for both Mozzarella and cream cheese. Unripe papaya pulp consistently exhibited the highest values for CP and CF in both types of cheese having values 19.34 and 22.99 for Mozzarella cheese and Cream cheese respectively. This could be attributed to the coagulation process and the properties of the coagulants used. The mineral analysis showed significant variations in the calcium, phosphorus, and zinc content of the cheeses while lemon juice coagulant had the highest phosphorus content, the Zinc content varied among the treatments, with also lemon juice coagulant showing the highest values of 0.6467 and 0.6033 for Mozzarella and Cream cheese respectively. These differences are due to the varying mineral compositions of the coagulants used. The sensory analysis revealed differences in the appearance, smell, taste, texture, and overall acceptability of the cheeses. The discussion highlights the substantial impact of coagulant choice on cheese quality, integrating these findings with existing literature. Unripe papaya pulp emerged as a particularly promising coagulant, producing nutrient-dense cheese that meets both nutritional and sensory standards.