Influence of pressurization on goat milk and cheese composition and yield

Fresh goat cheese was made from pasteurized (72°C, 15 s) or high pressure (HP)-treated milk (500 MPa, 15 min, 20°C). Microbiological quality (i.e. mesophilic aerobic bacteria and enterobacteria) of pressurized milk was comparable to pasteurized milk. Pasteurized and HP-treated milks had different pHs, non-casein nitrogen, total free fatty acids and lipase activity. There was a slightly larger amount of milk fat separated from the curd whey in HP-treated milk compared with pasteurized milk. The cheese made from HP-treated milk had higher levels of moisture and salt, but a slightly lower fat content than pasteurized milk cheese. Additional retention of whey protein and, especially, the greater moisture led to improvements in cheese yield from HP-treated milk.