Morphological and Textural Properties of Feta Cheese Made of Vegetable Protease

Abstract

There is a growing market demand for sustainable and ethical products, that initiated the use of vegetable proteases in food production, including cheese. Feta cheese, traditionally made from animal-derived rennet, can benefit from the incorporation of vegetable proteases for several reasons, including ethical considerations, allergen reduction, and environmental sustainability. The morphology and textural properties of Feta cheese made with vegetable protease from Cucurbita moschata (CM) seed extract were examined in this study. Besides, the impact of Cucurbita moschata seed extract on proximate, antioxidative, and sensory attributes was examined. Cucurbita seeds were washed, dried, ground, and kept for the extraction. Further, After extraction, the extract was optimized for milk curdling and the impact of temperature, pH, and NaCl concentration on it. The optimized extract and curding parameters were used to make feta cheese, and this study reports that Cucurbita moschata extract-based cow milk feta cheese was better than the animal rennet-based feta cheese in terms of water activity a_w, yield, physicochemical, and proximate properties. However, texture profile and sensory scores were comparable. The hardness of CM extract-based feta cheese was 7.643 ± 0.874 compared to 10.586 ± 0.804 for animal rennet-based feta cheese. Sensory scores for the cheese samples' overall acceptability were 8 and 7.5, respectively, for animal rennet-based and CM extract-based feta cheese. This study concludes that Cucurbita moschata seed extract can be effectively used for the production of high-quality feta cheese. Its suitability for vegetarian diets and dietary restrictions positions it as a promising alternative to animal-based rennet, with potential for industrial-scale application.

Keywords

milk coagulant / plant peptidase / sensory attributes / soft cheese / sustainability / vegetable rennet

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2025 The Author(s). Food Bioengineering published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology.