Chemical, Sensory and Rheological Evaluation of Karish Cheese Made by Oyster Mushroom Mycelium

Karish cheese was manufactured commercially by adding starter cultures and rennet.  In this study, three species of Pleurotus mushroom mycelium were examined in making Karish cheese from skim buffalo’s milk. Yield, chemical, sensory and rheological properties of cheese manufactured by homogenized P. ostreatus (HPO), P. florida (HPF) and P. eryngii (HPE) were evaluated. Results showed decrease in  the coagulation time by increasing the concentration of homogenized oyster mushroom mycelium. Karish cheese made by HPE resulted in the highest overall yield, followed by HPF, when compared with cheese manufactured by rennet, which had the lowest cheese yield. Chemical analysis illustrated that Karish cheese with homogenized Pleurotus mycelium was nearly of  the same constitutional values, in addition to fiber. The rheological characteristics improved significantly in the fresh cheese samples made with HPO, HPF and HPE and during storage. Sensory evaluation showed that Karish cheeses made with HPO, HPF and HPE were more acceptable by the panelists than Karish made by starter or rennet.