The microbiological and chemical characteristics of mozzarella cheese supplemented with different level of kefir

The effect of kefir supplementation on the characteristic of mozzarella cheese was investigated. Kefir is a fermented milk product that contains lactic acid bacteria, acetic bacteria, and yeast. The quality of mozzarella cheese has strongly influenced the level of kefir. The characteristics of mozzarella cheese with the addition of kefir were studied by measuring pH value, moisture content, protein content, fat content, total viable count, and total lactic acid bacterial count. The experimental design was a completely randomized design with four treatments and five replications. The treatments were performed by kefir supplementation levels, i.e., 0%, 4%, 8%, and 12%. The higher level of kefir supplementation influenced the microbiological and chemical characteristics of mozzarella cheese. The optimal characteristics of mozzarella cheese were 12% kefir with a pH of 4.8±0.13, a fat of 11.97±0.12%, protein of 23.05±0.22%, moisture of 47.61±0.72%. The mesophilic viable count was 4.7±0.2 log CFU/g, and the lactic acid bacteria was 9.02±0.2 log CFU/g. It is concluded that the best mozzarella cheese by the supplementation of 12% kefir is based on microbiological and chemical characteristics.