Factors affecting buffalo Mozzarella cheese yield: a study using regression analysis

Abstract Cheese production such as mozzarella is affected by several factors including the processing technology (e.g., cuts, fermentation, curd stretching), as well as quantity and quality of raw materials and other ingredients. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mozzarella cheese yield and buffalo milk composition, processing factors, and losses of whey constituents using polynomial regression and adjusted R2. All regression coefficients associated with each explanatory variable were significantly different from zero. The models explained an average of 99% of the variation in the dataset. The regression models showed that the concentration of milk components (e.g., fat, protein, casein, lactose, total solids), somatic cell score, age and acidity of the starter culture, time between curd cuts, and percentage of lost whey constituents highly influenced the mozzarella cheese yield. The buffalo dairy industry should focus on rigorous control of milk quality and processing factors to standardize and optimize mozzarella cheese yield efficiency.