Soft Cheese: Mushroom Milk Clotting Enzyme Substitute

Background and Objective: The study addresses the need for sustainable and ethical alternatives to traditional calf rennet, commonly used in cheese production. With growing concerns about the environmental impact, ethical considerations of animal-derived products and the rising demand for plant-based and microbial alternatives, there is a clear knowledge gap regarding the effectiveness of fungal milk-clotting enzymes (MCE) as substitutes. This research explores the technological and nutritional suitability of MCE derived from oyster mushrooms. Materials and Methods: The potential of the milk-clotting enzyme (MCE) derived from the edible oyster mushroom Pleurotus florida 14 MICC as a substitute for calf rennet in soft cheese production was evaluated. Its performance was compared to that of commercial calf rennet and microbial coagulants. The study also examined the cheese samples’ chemical, textural, sensory and nutritional properties over a 4-week storage period at 5°C. Results: The study found no significant (p≤0.05) differences in moisture, fat, protein, texture, or sensory attributes of cheese made with various coagulants, though mushroom crude MCE cheese had the highest ash, acidity and WSN/TN. Amino acid profiling revealed variations, with calf rennet cheese having the highest lysine content (78.49 mg/g protein) and microbial coagulant cheese excelling in leucine (38.06 mg/g protein). While microbial coagulant cheese achieved the highest PER and BV, partially purified mushroom MCE improved the leucine chemical score, making it comparable to commercial coagulants. Conclusion: Cheese made with different coagulants showed no significant differences in basic composition, texture, microstructure or sensory attributes. However, mushroom crude and partially purified MCE enhanced specific amino acid profiles, raising the nutritional value and chemical score, making them promising alternatives to commercial coagulants.