Manufacture of a feta cheese using skim milk retentate powder

Feta cheese was manufactured by addition of skim milk retentate powder to the cheese milk. In comparison with the reference cheese 40% of the initial milk was substituted on protein base by the powder. This substitution had little or no effect on proteolysis, lipolysis and the rheological properties of the cheese. Also sensory evaluation demonstrated that the experimental cheese was of the same quality as the reference cheese. Protein substitution proved to have some important advantages, such as a better yield and more economical cheese production. Furthermore, the skim milk retentate powder seems to have fat replacing properties.