Biochemical properties of Russian milk-clotting enzymes

The contemporary food and processing industries of the agro-industrial complex, including the dairy industry, primarily aim to supply all segments of the population with high-quality, healthy, and nutritious food. Due to the uniqueness of organoleptic characteristics and a valuable biochemical composition, cheese retains its attractiveness for consumers and occupies an important place in the system of healthy nutrition. The duration of the production cycle for semi-firm cheese, among other things, depends on used milk-clotting enzymes. A properly selected enzyme preparation will both contribute to the quality of products and increase the profit of the enterprise. The quality of cheese products depends on the biochemical properties of used milk-clotting enzyme preparations. Enzyme properties, such as the qualitative composition, proteolytic activity, dependence on the presence of calcium ions, pH, and resistance to temperature rise, important for the process of clotting as one of the main stages in cheese production were studied. The results of the studies showed that Russian milk-clotting enzyme preparations meet the requirements of the cheese industry. It is important to note that Russian enterprises producing milk-clotting enzyme preparations fail to withstand competition from foreign companies that currently occupy an overwhelming market share. According to statistics, the market share of domestic enterprises for the production of milk-clotting enzyme preparations is no more than 10%. The issue of developing the production of milk-clotting enzyme preparations in Russia is challenging and demanding for solution.