Effect of Different Coagulants on the Yield and Microbiological Quality of Soft Cheese (WARA) Produced from Tigernut

The milk and the soft cheese (wara) produced from tigernut were stored in the refrigerator and samples for microbiological analyses were collected at day one, seven and fourteen. Bacterial load of tigernut milk during storage increased from 1.5 101 to 1.8 101cfu/mL while the bacterial load of cheese ranged from 9.7 cfu/g to 1.2 101 cfu/g. There was no significant increase (p≤0.05) in the bacterial load of the cheese during storage. The bacterial isolates from freshly prepared tigernut milk were tentatively identified as Lactobacillus casei, L. plantarum and Streptococcus lactis. The bacteria isolated from the cheese produced using different coagulants are L. acidophilus, L. plantarum, Bacillus badius, B. larvae, B. alvei, Aeromonashydrophili, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The sensory scores revealed various significant differences in all the parameters evaluated on tigernut milk and cheese. Highest taste and texture were recorded for all the cheese produced while commercial cheese had the lowest taste and texture. This study revealed that tigernut milk and cheese produced from it possess low microbial load and good sensory quality. Tigernut milk may therefore serve as a good alternative to cow milk for the production of cheese.