RITA NARAYANAN AND C. NARESH KUMAR
Abstract
The extract of the plant Calotropis gigantea was tried as an alternative source for the activity for milk clotting in the preparation of cheese. The extract obtained using 70% alcohol was subjected to a column of Sephadex-G-200. Five fractions were collected and their content of protein, activity of clotting and proteolysis determined. The second fraction showed higher activity of clotting and lower proteolysis, proving its ability as a suitable coagulant of milk in the preparation of cheese. The cheese prepared using the extract had almost the same chemical composition (moisture, fat and protein) as that of the control prepared out of calf rennet. The growth rate of rats fed with control and experiment cheese was almost similar. To conclude, the extract of the leaves of Calotropis gigantea could be used as an alternative source in the preparation of cheese. The leaves of the plant Calotropis gigan tea could, therefore, be a good source for the coagulation of milk especially in small dairies in the developing countries which are engaged in the preparation of cheese.