The research of kajmak quality: Chemical, microbiological and sensor aspect

Abstract

Kajmak is autohthonous product, which is traditionally made like farmhouse fermented milk product by farmers. In such conditions of production, quality of kajmak is usually very variable and nonstandard. The aim of this paper was to research chemical composition, autohthonous microflora, microbiological and sensory quality of kajmak samples, which had been collected from green markets and supermarkets on Belgrade territory. Chemical composition and sensory quality of tested kajmak samples showed great difference, while according to microbiological analyses, not all samples were suitable for human consumption. Industrial production of kajmak, under controlled conditions and usage of starter cultures could be the solution for getting good standard quality of this dairy product. Also, this could lead to better marketing possibilities for domestic market and for export.

Kajmak predstavlja autohtoni proizvod, čija je proizvodnja pretežno zastupljena u seoskim domaćinstvima i zasniva se na tradicionalnom postupku dobijanja. U takvim uslovima, proizvod je veoma neujednačenog i nestandardizovanog kvaliteta. Cilj rada je bio da se ispita hemijski sastav autohtona mikroflora i mikrobiološka ispravnost, kao i senzorne karakteristike uzoraka kajmaka koji se mogu naći u slobodnoj prodaji na teritoriji Beograda. U pogledu hemijskog sastava i senzornog kvaliteta svi ispitivani uzorci kajmaka pokazuju veliku raznolikost, dok u mikrobiološkom pogledu uzorci ne odgovaraju važećim normama Pravilnika, te kao takvi ne bi smeli da se stavljaju u promet. Rešenje pitanja standardizacije procesa proizvodnje i kvaliteta kajmaka moglo bi biti u industrijskoj proizvodnji koja bi dala proizvod dobrog standardnog kvaliteta. To bi omogućilo i veći plasman kajmaka kako na domaćem, tako i stranom tržištu.