Effect of Proteases on Meltability and Stretchability of Nabulsi Cheese

Problem statement: Boiled white brined cheese (Nabulsi cheese) is the mostly consumed cheese in Jordan; this cheese should show meltability and high stretchability in order to fit in the production of high quality Kunafa and other popular local sweets and pastries. However, these characteristics are rarely available when usual processing and preservation methods were used. Approach: This study was based on the hypothesis that it would be possible to imply meltability and stretchability to the cheese by proteolytic enzymes to the original brine that may specifically act on cross linking bonds of casein. In this study, six commercial proteases were used. Results: It was found that Nabulsi cheese treated with papain developed an outstanding fibrous structure, this gives superiority in the application in kunafa, pizza and pastries. The meltability and stretchability of Nabulsi cheese treated with papain were still excellent after 4 weeks of storage; this indicated the restricted enzyme action, probably due to high salt concentrations (18%) in storage brine. Conclusion: Use of proteolytic enzymes to induce meltability and stretchability of Nabulsi cheese was proved to be an efficient method.