CARDOON (CYNARA CARDUNCULUS L.) USED AS VEGETABLE RENNET IN AN ALGERIAN TRADITIONAL CHEESE MAKING DJBEN

The flowers of cardoon are typically used in Algeria, for traditional cheese making of "Djben" usually manufactured with raw ewe'’s milk. This plant (Cynara cardunculus L.), used for milk-clotting, is widely distributed in Mediterranean countries . It grows wild and abundantly in dry, uncultivated places, producing flower all summer. The present study was carried out in order to study the aptitude of the cardoon to coagulate cow’s, ewe's and goat's milks in the traditional cheese making. First, extractions carried out from various parts of the plant, indicate A coagulating activity only with the flower collected at an advanced stage of development. Second, the most firmness of cheese texture was obtained with ewe's milk cheese. The coagulant agent seems to show a greater affinity for the ewe's milk where its action is found to be much better. The organoleptic characteristics of cheese performed with the three types of milk differs notably, particularly the consistency and the bitterness flavor in cow’s milk cheese. The ewe's milk cheese was the most appreciated by the jury.