Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, heterogenous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining curds, but retaining some of the whey and keeping the curds loose

1. Cottage Cheese
manufacturing
process
Presented by: Ranit Sarkar
DAIRY AND FOOD ENGINEERING

3. fresh cheese
made from the
curds of cow's
milk.
is not aged or
ripened and is
consumed fresh
mild, slightly
tangy flavor and
a creamy, lumpy
texture
relatively low in
fat (< 0.5%
fat) and calories
compared to
others
Cottage cheese
is not typically
used as a
standalone
ingredient in
salads
3

4. Cottage cheese is made from pasteurized skim milk with a total solids content of 10-
14%.
Methods
long-set, medium-set, short-set.
Specs:
• Level of starter addition (%): 5
• Time before cutting (h): 5
• Incubation temperature (°C): 32
Specs:
• Level of starter addition (%): 1-5
• Time before cutting (h): 5-12
• Incubation temperature (°C): 22-32
Specs:
• Level of starter addition (%): 0.25-1
• Time before cutting (h): 12-16
• Incubation temperature (°C): 22

5. 1.Non-gas-producing
mesophilic cultures are used as
a starter inoculum.
A low level of rennet (1-3 ml
per 1000 liters of milk) may be
added to form a gel suitable for
cutting after a shorter
incubation period
1.After cutting, the curd is left
undisturbed for 15-35 minutes
and then slowly cooked with
gentle stirring for 1-3 hours until
the temperature is 47-56°C.
After this resting period, the curds are
cooked slowly, with gentle stirring, for
1–3 h until the temperature is 47–
56 °C.
Pasteurized cream (10-20% fat)
with salt and stabilizers is added
to the curd, known as "dressing."
The total time for washing and
drainage steps is about 3 h.
Curds are washed with three
batches of water at decreasing
temperatures to remove lactose
and lactic acid and cool the
curd.
The curds are packed into
containers and stored at 4-
5°C for retail distribution with
a shelf-life of 2-3 weeks.
Lc. lactis subsp. cremoris
Lactococcus lactis subsp. lac
tis
Manufacture
process
In the United States, creamed cottage cheese contains approx. 79% moisture, 16% solids-not-fat, ∼4% fat
and 1% salt.

6. 1. Cottage cheese can be made by directly acidifying cold milk to a specific pH range (5.2-4.7).
2. The milk is usually acidified to a pH of 5.1 using different types of acids such as hydrochloric,
phosphoric or lactic acid.
3. After acidification, the milk is warmed to a higher temperature (e.g., 32 °C).
4. A small amount of glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) is added to the milk to reduce its pH to around 4.7.
5. The milk then coagulates and forms curd.
6. This slow acidification approach is different from adding a high concentration of GDL at a higher
temperature, which would cause a rapid reduction in milk pH.
Another process of cottage cheese production

7. 1. Rectangular, open vats are the most commonly used equipment for making cottage
cheese.
2. Separate equipment can also be used for whey draining, curd washing/cooling, and
creaming steps, which can improve process efficiency.
3. Main processing equipment for cottage cheese includes plate heat exchangers for
pasteurization, milk fermentation tanks, cutting devices, stirring area with indirect or direct
heating, whey drainage belts with curd washing stations/tanks, pressing belt, area for
addition of dressing (in vats or by mixers), and a packaging/filling system.
4. Different heating systems are used, such as drawing whey from the top of the vat and
passing it through a heat exchanger, and 'jet cooking' where culinary steam is injected
into the whey to achieve uniform heating and prevent 'burn-on' during the cooking stage.
5. The curd is fragile, and gentle agitation is required to prevent damage. Several agitator
designs have been developed, such as the Vert-Stir® from Stoelting, to minimize
damage.
Equipment
used

8. 1. Minor sludge formation can occur during cottage cheese manufacture due to agglutination of starter
bacteria and milk proteins during incubation.
2. Homogenization of skim milk and careful selection of starter cultures can reduce the likelihood of this
defect.
3. "Floating curd" defect can occur during cooking of cottage cheese curd and is usually attributed to cultures
that produce excessive amounts of carbon dioxide.
4. Careful selection of starter cultures for acid and flavor production is necessary to prevent this defect.
5. "Major sludge formation" is a defect where all the curd seems to form a sludge at the bottom of the vat and
is usually caused by phage infection during fermentation.
6. Cottage cheese has a granular, curdy texture rather than a viscous, smooth or pasty body.
7. Sorbates and other preservatives are often used to increase the shelf-life of cottage cheese.
Problems involved in Cheese making process.!