Interactions between cultures, coagulants and technology to increase cheese yields

A process for making a low moisture mozzarella cheese (LMMC), comprising:

• A) adding to milk, a starter culture and, optionally, calcium, to obtain a composition;
• B) adding one or more coagulants to the composition of step A;
• C) renneting the composition of step B for 5 minutes to 25 minutes to obtain a renneted composition;
• D) cutting the renneted composition of step C;
• E) stirring and scalding the composition of step D while heating the composition to around 41° C.;
• F) optionally stirring the composition;
• and
• G) removing whey to obtain a curd
• wherein step B of adding one or more coagulants to the composition is conducted no later than 10 minutes, after step A of adding the starter culture to milk,
• wherein the pH of the composition is at least 6.3 before step G of removing whey,
• wherein the one or more coagulants have a clotting activity/unspecific proteolytic activity (C/P) ratio of at least 25, and
• wherein the low moisture mozzarella cheese has one or more of (i) a moisture content of 48% to 50% when measured no later than 24 hours after step D of cutting the renneted composition;
• (ii) a dry matter content of 50% to 52% when measured no later than 24 hours after step D of cutting the renneted composition;
• and (iii) a fat per dry matter ratio of 0.40 to 0.55 when measured no later than 24 hours after step D of cutting the renneted composition.