Exogenous enzymes in dairy technology: acidic proteases from processing discards of shrimp Pleoticus muelleri and their use as milk-clotting enzymes for cheese manufacture

Argentina is the seventh largest world producer of cheese. Owing to the profitability of this industry, more than a thousand of dairy companies and farms exclusively produce cheeses, and, thus, this activity utilises 42% of total raw milk production of the country. Due to the increase in cheese demand, and because calf rennet is relatively expensive, this has motivated the study of new sources of proteases due to the potential use in biotechnological processes. Previously, crustacean proteases have been considered as good rennet substitutes for milk coagulation during the cheese making process. The aim of this study was to evaluate and characterise acidic proteases obtained from Pleoticus muelleri discards and their proteolytic capability as well as their potential use as a milk-clotting agent. The activity of aspartic proteases and the satisfactory acceptation by the taste panel for cheese made with shrimp's enzymes suggest that P. muelleri proteins offer a high potential for use in dairy biotechnological processes with potential use as milk-clotting agents for cheese making.