Characterization and Application of Phytochemicals Substances of the Fig Tree: Biological and Sensory Characterization of Ficin and Cheeses “Fresh and Soft”

Abstract

The manufacture of cheese based on goat's milk is a traditional practice using fig tree latex. The objective of this paper is to study the possibility of substituting rennet with ficin as a vegetable coagulant milk and its characterization. In addition, two trials of manufacturing fresh and soft cheese using ficin were made. The results obtained show that the coagulant activity of ficin is optimal at pH = 5, at a temperature of 75℃ and at a CaCl2 concentration of 0.03 M with 2097.90 UR., 911.79 UR., and 192.30 UR respectively. The coagulant force of this enzyme is 1/21250.911 with a proteolytic activity estimated at 139 μg of tyrosine equivalent per ml of ficin extract. The fresh cheese is white with a creamy appearance and great solubility in the mouth. The ficin soft cheese has an organoleptic quality better than that of control cheese and a softer with a more viscous texture in comparison to that of rennet. The ficin soft cheese has a penetrometry of 2.5 mm in comparison with that of a rennet of 3.6 mm. Ficin can replace rennet in cheese making and deserves to be expanded in the manufacture of different cheeses.