Yield and Quality of Cheddar Cheese from High Somatic Cell Milk Supplemented with Retentate to Varying Concentrations or Directly Ultrafiltered

High somatic cell milk with a mean cell count of 2,235,000/ml was supplemented to 1.25:1 to 1.88:1 total protein with approximately 5.5:1 low somatic cell whole milk retentate of UF. Curd formation time of cheese milk decreased with increasing concentration of SCC. Supplemented milk concentrated to 1.65: 1 and 1.88:1 total protein displayed normal curd formation times: 34 and 31 min, respectively. Also, cheese made from these mixtures had normal moisture, whereas the remaining cheeses had higher than normal moisture. Supplementation to 1.65:1 and 1.88:1 total protein increased cheese yield by 9.67% and 11.38%, respectively, and produced excellent quality cheese after 2 mo at 10°C.Direct UF of high SCC milk to 1.84:1 total protein improved cheese quality and increased yield over control milk cheeses but not to the same high level attained with retentate supplementation.