Free fat soft cheese was made from standardized buffalo's milk (control full fat 4.2% and 0.1% free fat milk). Milk were divided into eight portions, the first two treatments were made of full fat milk (control) without cheese starter (control), and the second was made of free fat milk without cheese starter (control). The other six treatments were made of free fat soft cheese with different starter cultures: A1 and A2 by using White Daily 82 and White Daily 42(acid producing starter cultures). V1 and V2 treatments were made with mixed starter of acid-producing cultures (A1) and exopolysaccharide-producing lactic acid bacteria (YF-L811and YC-X11). V3 and V4 treatments were made with mixed starter of acid-producing cultures (A2) and exopolysaccharide-producing lactic acid bacteria (YF-L811 and YC-X11). Three replicates of full and free fat soft cheese were traditionally made and stored at 5± 1°C. Samples were analyzed when fresh and after 7, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 days of storage, and examined for chemical, microbiological, rheological and organoleptic characteristics.
Results designated that, the use of exopolysaccharide-producing LAB in V1 treatment free fat soft cheese resulted in the highest soluble nitrogen / total nitrogen, soluble tyrosine and tryptophan contents, and the rate of accumulation of total volatile fatty acids compared, with all other cheese treatments. The highest lactic acid bacterial counts were detected in fresh V1 free fat soft cheese and V2. Lactic acid bacterial counts gradually decreased within 120 days of the storage. Yeast and mould counts were less than the standards within first 60 days of the storage period. Total viable bacterial counts slightly increased in all cheese samples, as the storage period progressed. Hardness, cohesiveness, chewiness and adhesiveness properties were high in control full-fat, as compared with all other free fat cheese. Free fat soft cheeses in the presence of acid producing bacteria mixed with exopolysaccharide producing-lactic acid bacteria as starter culture could be recommended