Seasonal Impact on Rheological and Sensory Quality of Curd from Goat, Cow and Buffalo Milk

To observe the seasonal effect on the quality of curd made from milk of Gohilwadi goats, Banni buffaloes and Gir cows, curd samples were analysed for flow behaviour, firmness, total solids content, syneresis and sensory attributes. Total solids were highest (18.79%) in the curd of buffalo, followed by cow (17.17%) in monsoon and goat (14.49%) in winter. Season had significant (P<0.05) effect on the texture of curd, with maximum firmness (0.79±0.01 g) and initial shear stress (1163.80±10.23 Pa) in buffalo and 0.71±0.03 g and 1469.40±22.12 Pa respectively in cow during the monsoon. Minimal syneresis was recorded during the monsoon for buffalo (24.94±0.11%) and cow (27.66±0.22%) curd, while goat curd experienced the highest syneresis in the summer (41.62±0.40%). Cow curd had the highest flavour and total sensory score in the monsoon season, while goat curd had the lowest. Buffalo curd scored highest for body and texture score in the monsoon, whereas goat curd scored lowest in summer. It was inferred that Banni buffalo curd consistently showed the highest total solids, firmness and texture quality, while Gir cow curd excelled in the monsoon with superior sensory attributes. In contrast, Gohilwadi goat curd exhibited greater seasonal variability, with the poorest quality in summer.