Quality Properties of Appenzeller Cheese Added with Chlorella

Effects of Chlorella powder on the growth of lactic acid bacteria, ripening velocity and organoleptic properties in Appenzeller cheese were investigated. Added levels of Chlorella powder were 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0%. The lactic acid bacteria count was higher in cheese added with Chlorella than those in the control cheese. The pH of cheese increased gradually after 3 weeks, reaching pH at 15 weeks of maturation, and the pH was slightly lower in Chlorella added cheese than in control cheese. The soluble nitrogen compounds, non casein nitrogen (NCN) and non protein nitrogen (NPN), in Appenzeller cheese increased during 15 weeks of ripening, and they were higher in Chlorella added cheese than in control cheese. Electrophoresis of cheese proteins revealed that caseins were degraded more rapidly in Chlorella cheese as the level of Chlorella increased so that the cheese with 2% Chlorella could have developed a bitter taste and a stench by an excessive degradation of proteins. Sensory scores of the cheese ripened for 15 weeks were diminished as the level of Chlorella increased especially the cheese added with 2% Chlorella obtained significantly lower values of sensory scores than control cheese. Among the Chlorella cheeses, 0.5% Chlorella added cheese showed the highest score in overall sensory preference. From the results, the adequate level of Chlorella powder being added to produce an Appenzeller cheese product with acceptable quality was suggested to be 0.5%.