Ludhiana: Vet varsity introduces buffalo and goat cheese
The college professor explained that the cheese developed by the varsity will not only provide more profit, but will also minimise waste; the college has introduced five types of cheese; mozzarella, bocconcini, ricotta, chevre (goat), and feta (goat)
The college of dairy and food sciences at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) introduced five types of buffalo and goat cheese to the dairy farmers at the Pashu Palan Mela here on Friday.
Neetika Goyal, the college professor said that it was the first time the college introduced the process of making these types of cheese to the farmers which can add value to their dairy businesses.
She explained that the cheese developed by the varsity will not only provide more profit, but will also minimise waste. The college has introduced five types of cheese; mozzarella, bocconcini, ricotta, chevre (goat), and feta (goat).
“If a farmer sells 100 litres of milk for ₹60 per litre, they will only make around ₹6000. But if they make mozzarella cheese, which goes for above ₹600 per kg in the market, they can make around 12 kg of cheese, which would bring them an income of ₹7200. Around 80 liters of whey will be left, which can again be used to make ricotta cheese by adding just 20 litres of milk. Farmers can make around 6 kg of ricotta cheese this way which would go for around ₹3500 in the market, adding to their income,” she said.
All of these, Goyal said, could be prepared by any farmer already making paneer with minimal intervention of instrument and technique.
Professor at the college’s dairy technology department, Parveen Kumar Singh, said that the aim behind introducing the cheese at the mela was to raise awareness among the farmers that there is more than paneer to dairy.
“Most of the dairy farmers sell either milk or process it into paneer. But we wanted to come up with options beyond paneer that didn’t need any extra investment and brought huge value addition. These five kinds of cheeses can be made at cottage level without much investment,” he said.
He noted that there is a high-end market for these types of cheese that is being supplied by foreign companies. The varsity would now train interested farmers in making these cheeses through extension activities.