Abstract:The effects of rennet addition, fermentation endpoint pH, curd temperature, and hot blanching temperature on Yunnan Bos bubalus milk mozzarella cheese were examined using the sensory score and stretchability as evaluation indices. Response surface methodology was used to determine the optimal process for cheese production, and the nutrient composition and functional properties of the resultant mozzarella cheese were further evaluated. The results showed that the optimal process for Yunnan B. bubalus milk mozzarella cheese was as follows: rennet addition of 0.5 mg/mL, fermentation endpoint pH value of 5.7, curd temperature of 45 ℃, and blanching temperature of 80 ℃. Under these optimized conditions, the resultant B. bubalus milk mozzarella cheese yielded a sensory score of 90.18 and stretchability of 64.83 cm, close to the predicted values and significantly higher (P<0.05) than the sensory score (64.52) and stretchability (27.33 cm) of cheese produced from Chinese Black and White milk. The protein (24.12 g/100 g), moisture (52.59 g/100 g), and fat (20.98 g/100 g) contents, yield (11.28%), meltability (33.07 mm), and fat precipitation (17.00 mm) of B. bubalus milk cheeses were significantly higher than those of Chinese Black and White milk cheeses (P<0.05). These results indicate that B. bubalus milk is more suitable for making mozzarella cheese than normal Chinese Black and White milk, with the resulting cheese showing good sensory, nutritional, and functional characteristics. Therefore, mozzarella cheese made from B. bubalus milk can meet consumer demand for healthy and delicious dairy products and provide a foundation for the commercial application of B. bubalus milk.