摘要：For improving the quality of the popular low fat Kariesh cheese it was manufactured from skimmed buffalo's milk supplemented with different concentrations ranged from 0.01-0.05% of xanthan gum as a fat replacer. The resultant cheese was microbiologically analyzed for Lactobacillus dlebreuckii ssp., L. bulgaricus , Streptococcus thermophilus on MRS agar and M17 agar, respectively at 37°C for 24 h. The total bacterial count was also determined at 37°C for 24 h. Chemical analysis was achieved for determination of fat, total nitrogen, ash and total solids as recommended by AOAC methods. The texture of the product was evaluated using the double compression test with addition of xanthan gum no alteration of microbial population was detected. The increase of cheese yield upon addition of 0.4 and 0.5% was not significant compared with the control. Textural characteristics including, hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess and chewiness were increased for both the product and the control cheese up to 15 days storage period after that the hardness and cohesiveness were significantly decreased with increasing xanthan gum concentration. Kariesh cheese made with using 0.04 and 0.05% xanthan gum exhibited high acceptability compared with the control after 7 days of storage period. The addition of xanthan gum as a fat replacer upon manufacturing of Kariesh cheese enriched its flavor and improved its quality.
