Microbiological Properties of Stored Freeze Dried Cow Milk Cheese and Soy Cheese

The microbiological properties of stored freeze dried cow milk cheese and soy cheese were investigated. Cow milk cheese and soy milk cheese were prepared using appropriate standard procedures. The microbial qualities of the stored freeze dried samples were determined using standard  methods as prescribed by Compendium of Methods for the Microbiological Examination of Foods and Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Data obtained were analyzed statistically to determine the effect of the packaging materials and storage duration on the microbial qualities of freeze dried cheese samples. Result of the microbial composition for the fresh cow milk and soy cheese for bacterial and fungi count are 3.00x103±0.01, 2.54x106±0.05 and 2.76x103±0.02, 2.60x106±0.10 while the result for the freeze dried cow milk and soy cheese before storage are 2.72x103±0.02, 2.35x106±0.30 and 2.54x103±0.03, 2.38x106±0.50. This indicates that all the packaging material types used have the ability to minimize the microbial growth of stored freeze dried cheese. Polythene film is recommended to be more suitable in terms of cost, availability, compactibility and weight. Keywords: cheese, freeze drying, microbial qualities, packaging materials.