Influence of the technological properties of vegetable rennet (<i><scp>C</scp>ynara cardunculus</i>) on the physicochemical, sensory and rheological characteristics of ‘<scp>T</scp>orta del <scp>C</scp>asar’ cheese

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to investigate the influence of technological properties of vegetable rennet ( C ynara cardunculus ) on the characteristics of ‘ T orta del C asar’ cheese to establish the parameters that can be useful for quality control of this coagulant. The physicochemical, microbial, texture and sensory properties of the cheeses were evaluated and correlated to clotting and proteolytic activities of the vegetable rennets used for their manufacture. The level of in vitro degradation of α‐casein and κ‐casein/β‐casein degradation ratio was found to be good tools to predict the effect of vegetable rennet on the rheological properties of these cheeses.