Quality assurance in the production of yoghurt and cheese.

Abstract

Yoghurt and cheese are cultured milk products due to the production process whereby milk is inoculated with a starter culture converting lactose to lactic acid. Compounds such as carbon dioxide, acetic acid, diacetyl and acetaldehyde give these products their characteristic taste and aroma. In this dissertation emphasis is going to be given to set and stirred yoghurt for yoghurt production and to the locally produced cheeselets for the cheese production. Yoghurt originated from Bulgaria and nowadays its highest consumption is in the Mediterranean countries, Central Europe and Asia. In Malta, at the Malta Dairy Products (MDP), 3 main types of stirred yoghurt are produced- Light, Full Fat and Dessert yoghurt and 2 main types of set yoghurt- Full Fat and the Light varieties. In stirred yoghurt, inoculation and incubation take place in fermentation vessels whilst in the case of set yoghurts inoculation and fermentation take place in the same retail containers. Cheese production started in the fertile agricultural area known as 'Fertile Crescent' around 6000 - 7000 BC. Cheese can be classified as extra hard, hard, half-fat, semi-soft and soft cheese. Cheeselets, the cheese studied in this dissertation, are classified as soft cheese. In Malta, these are produced as peppered, semi-dried and soft white cheeselets and their peak season is between September to June or July. At the MDP, this production started in 1991 for peppered cheeselets and in 1995 for white cheeselets. In 1999, the production by this company was of 40,000 cheeselets every week where 46% are peppered cheeselets and 34% are white cheeselets. Other 350 licensed farms situated all over Malta and Gozo produce both pasteurised and unpasteurised cheeselets. In this dissertation, emphasis is going to be given to the implementation of Quality Assurance as followed by the International Standard Organisation (ISO) and Malta. In 1986, the ISO defined Quality Assurance as 'all those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that a product or service will satisfy given requirements'. (Early R.,1995). Quality control, which is a measure of Quality assurance, is also going to be discussed as it is concerned with measuring and regulating processes and activities, by making sure that the given requirements are reached. A survey on the quality of yoghurt and cheese lets was also performed to check if the Maltese people are pleased with both products. 2 athletes.