Iron Content of Baker's and Cottage Cheese Made from Fortified Skim Milks

Skim milk fortified with iron, added in the form of ferric ammonium citrate, was made into Baker's cheese and cottage cheese. Approximately 14% of the iron was retained in Baker's cheese and 58% in the cottage cheese. Subsequent studies indicated that heat treatment during manufacture was a major factor influencing iron retention. Added iron had no effect on starter activity nor on the initial flavor of the product. During storage for 2 mo no accelerated development of off-flavors was noted in the ironfortified cheese. One hundred grams of cottage cheese made from milk fortified at 20µg iron/ml provides one-third of the recommended daily allowance of iron for an adult female.