Sheep's milk is produced in smallholdings, which hinders the continuity of production. Therefore, freezing during periods of high production can be a solution. Herein, we examined the effect of freezing on sheep's milk and a mixture of sheep and cow's milk (70:30, v/v) on the quality of fresh pasta filata cheeses produced from the milk. Frozen/thawed sheep's milk contributes little to the development of innovative and reformulated cheeses. This was due to 24% higher hardness and greater extensibility and cutting force, as well as lower stretching and elasticity. Although their flowability increased (Oiling-off from 3 to 12%), the meltability (tube test, and Schreiber test) decreased. Additionally, the use of frozen milk caused consumer dissatisfaction. The consumer penalty analysis of the just-about-right showed that freezing of the milk caused the loss of the refreshing, elasticity and shininess of pasta filata cheeses.
Keywords: frozen milk; meltability; pasta filata cheese; sheep’s milk; water mobility.