Comparative assessment of “Wara” (Local Cheese) produced using three natural additives as coagulants

This study was carried out to assess the nutritional and organoleptic properties of “Wara” - local cheese prepared by addition of some selected coagulants. All experiments were carried out under standard laboratory conditions. Three variants of cheese were made using three natural coagulants which include Calotropis procera (CC), Moringa oleifera (MC) and lemon juice (LC). These were further divided into two based on the quantity of coagulant used, each making a total of six subdivisions; CC1, CC2, MC1, MC2, LC1 and LC2. The following properties were determined: fat, protein, moisture content, carbohydrate, calcium, Ash, general appearance, texture, color and taste. These were analyzed based on the various coagulants used. It was observed that the organoleptic properties such as, texture, colour, taste and general appearance were affected by the quantity of each coagulant added to each of the samples; the Calotropis procera (CC), Moringa oleifera (MC) cheese samples were preferred to the lemon juice cheese samples based on the response from the sensory evaluation carried out. The results of the proximate analysis showed differences in fat, protein, moisture content, carbohydrate, ash and calcium contents of the different samples prepared. The Calotropis procera (CC) cheese samples gave better values in terms of fat, calcium and ash contents; while the Moringa oleifera cheese samples had good results in terms of carbohydrate content. The quantity of each coagulant added to each of the samples also affected the carbohydrate content; the more the quantity of coagulant used, the lower the carbohydrate content. From the results obtained, it can be concluded that Moringa oleifera and Calotropis procera are promising and generally desirable local coagulants in cheese processing.