Chemical and textural attributes of Hellim (Halloumi) cheese marketed in Turkey

Introduction Hellim (Halloumi) cheese is a traditional cheese belonging to Cyprus. Hellim is a popular and a widely-consumed dairy product especially in the eastern region of Mediterranean (Kaminarides et al., 2007). It is a semi-hard rindless cheese preserved in brine. The manufacture of Halloumi has been described by Anifantakis and Kaminarides (1983). The most characteristic peculiarity of the manufacture of this cheese is that after separation of the curd, the whey is heated to 80 to 90 °C for 30 min to coagulate the whey proteins that are used in the manufacture of Anari which is manufactured by using the whey which drains off during manufacturing of Halloumi. Additional fresh milk is added to the whey, and with boiling curds of Anari cheese is formed (Phelan et al., 1993; Recio et al., 2004). Hellim has a characteristic taste and an elastic texture, and it can be sliced easily. Hellim cheese is also consumed after frying. Since it is very popular in the region, Hellim cheese is produced also in Turkey. But the number Summary