Turoš cheese belongs to the group of fresh, acidic, dried cheeses, flavoured with dried red pepper and cone shaped, produced in Međumurje region of Croatia and Hungary by Croats from Pomurje. The goal of this paper was to investigate the production procedure, physico-chemical properties and microbiological qulity of Turoš cheese, whose production takes place on the family farms and in small dairy plants. Due to skimming the sour cream during the production at family farms a significant part of milk fat was removed that resulted in a lower content of milk fat in traditional Turoš cheese (P<0.01) in comparison to the Turoš cheese produced at small scale dairy plant. A significantly higher salt content (P<0.001) and pH value (P<0.05) was found in Turoš cheese produced at family farms. The investigations have shown a significant difference in height (P<0.0001) and in weight (P<0.05) in favor of the cheeses produced in small scale dairy plants. Microbiological analysis showed that all the analyzed cheeses met the requirement of hygienic conditions. Further analyses have shown the presence of yeasts and molds in the cheeses.

Turoš, cream, fresh cheese, yeasts and mold

Published by University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CROATIA
Sponsored by Ministry Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia