Modelling the effects of plant material, NaCl and temperature on the activities of a milk-coagulant from Solanum aethiopicum L. Shum fruits

This study was performed to investigate the effects of three preparation factors on the activities of milk-coagulant from Solanum aethiopicum L. Shum (SAS) fruits. These independent variables were SAS fruits powder, soaking temperature and NaCl concentration. Box-Behnken design was used to establish the relationship between variables and experimental responses. The models obtained showed satisfactory agreements between the observed and predicted values (P 0.01) was observed between the experimental and predicted responses. Based on the response surface analysis, a quadratic polynomial model could be used to optimize the preparation of the milk-coagulant from SAS fruits suitable for cheesemaking.