questions about mascarpone
What is mascarpone?
Mascarpone is a traditional product from Italy and it is produced by direct acidification with organic acid (mostly citric acid). The base is cream with 19-24% fat and the final product has a fat content of 45-55% fat absolute and app. 85% fat in dry matter. The protein content is 7-8%.
How is mascarpone made?
The process is comparable to the double cream fresh cheese process.
To produce Mascarpone milk with a fat content of 19-24% is first pasteurized and homogenized to combine fat and protein. After cooling to coagulation temperature an organic acid (citric acid in most cases) is used to directly lower the pH to precipitate the protein. The milk is than treated at high temperature like in the double cream fresh cheese process to denaturate whey proteins and combine them with the cheese matrix. Finally the coagulum is transferred to the double cream cheese separator where whey is separated from the cheese curd. It can be directly filled into cups or flavors can be added optionally.
