LAUSR

Abstract This study was aimed to produce liquid and dried kashk as a traditional dairy-based product on an industrial scale. Furthermore, the microbial, chemical properties as well as the proximate composition including pH, moisture, salt, fat, protein, total volatile nitrogen (TVN) and peroxide value (PV) were assessed after 1, 10 and 20 days of cold storage (7 °C). Also, the samples from traditional dairy products such as yogurt, doogh, dried kashk, and lolek were collected, and the diversity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was determined as L. lactis subsp cremoris, Streptococcus thermophilus, L. lactis subsp lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus fermentum. The mean values of fat, protein, and TVN for dried and liquid kashk samples were measured as (7.4 ± 0.7, 2.7 ± 0.1%), (51 ± 3.8, 8.7 ± 0.6 g/100 g) and (15.3 ± 3.9, 14.9 ± 4.1 mg/100 g), respectively. The microbial analysis revealed yeasts and molds were the most prevalent microorganisms in both types of kashks, while no Coliform, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were found in all samples. In conclusion, the selected species from traditional products which presented a specific property may provide a wide range of genetic variants to design modified species with desired characteristics.