Use of an Exogenous Carboxypeptidase to Accelerate Proteolysis in Reggianito Cheese

Abstract

The effect of an exogenous commercial carboxypeptidase on the proteolysis of Reggianito cheese was evaluated. Cheeses were manufactured using 4 concentrations of enzyme: 0, 5, 10, and 20 g/100 l milk. Cheese samples were analysed at 0, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 210 days of ripening. Nitrogen content values increased during ripening, but no clear effect due to the enzyme addition was observed. A profound degradation of β-casein was observed during the first 2 months of ripening in cheeses with the highest rates of enzyme addition. An increase of amino acid concentrations was clearly observed in some cheeses manufactured with exogenous enzymes compared with control cheeses at the same ripening time. However, the principal component analysis showed that experimental cheeses had a slight increase in the rate of formation and/or degradation of proteolysis products. Our results represent an important contribution to select new alternatives for enzyme addition during the manufacture of hard cheese.