Comprehensive assessment of the quality of Ukrainian-made sour-milk cheese

Comprehensive research of food products, as well as compliance with the rules and regulations in the food industry, are necessary to provide consumers with quality and safe products. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the quality and safety of sour-milk cheese, including the evaluation of organoleptic characteristics, physicochemical properties, and microbiological indicators. The study was conducted with one of the largest producers of milk powder and fermented milk products on the Ukrainian market, BIAGR LLC as its basis. To achieve the set goal, the following methods were used: organoleptic, physicochemical, microbiological, and measurement of the content of toxic elements (cadmium, arsenic, lead). At the beginning of the measurement of quality indicators, packaging and labelling were evaluated, which complied with the requirements of the national standard. During the study of the organoleptic quality indicators of sour-milk cheese with a fat content of 5%, it was found that its consistency is soft, without whey separation; distinctive fermented milk smell and taste are without extraneous odour and favour; the colour of the sample is uniformly white. At the second stage of the research, the mandatory physicochemical quality indicators were measured and evaluated, namely: mass fraction of fat – 5.0%; mass fraction of protein – 14.6%; mass fraction of moisture – 68.0%; titratable acidity – 176°T; phosphatase was absent. Since food safety is now an urgent issue in Ukraine, the following safety indicators were measured during the research: the number of lactic acid bacteria, which was 2×106 CFU per 1 g; Escherichia coli bacteria were not detected; the number of mould fungi was 1×101 CFU per 1 g; the amount of yeast was 1×101 CFU per 1 g; pathogenic microorganisms, including Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes were not detected. Thus, in terms of organoleptic, physicochemical and safety indicators, sour-milk cheese with a fat content of 5%, produced by BIAGR LLC, meets the requirements of regulatory documents. The results of the research can be used for quality control of dairy products and improvement of production processes