Technological challenges in production of camel milk cheese and ways to overcome them – A review

Cheesemaking from camel milk poses several challenges, owing to the composition of camel milk, which differs from that of cow milk. Each step involved in the standard cheesemaking process needs some modification before cheese of acceptable quality can be made from the milk. Thermophilic starter cultures are reportedly more useful in acidification of camel milk. The lower casein content results in improper coagulation, even with recent advancements in the application of camel chymosin. Higher intensity of heat treatment results in weak rennet gel. The use of hydrocolloids and microbial enzymes that help in improving body of acid gels are generally not effective for rennet gels. Camel milk cheese curd needs to be cooked at higher temperatures to improve the yield. Understanding these challenges that are involved in each step of cheese making and overcoming them by modifying the process would help to improve the quality of camel milk cheese.