Erzurum Moldy Civil Cheese Product Description and Distinctive Features: Erzurum Molded Civil Cheese (Göğermiş Cheese) is one of our regional cheese varieties that is particularly popular in Erzurum and its surroundings, often found on breakfast tables. The combination of molded civil cheese, lavash bread, and tea forms a trio of flavors that Erzurum residents enjoy. Göğermiş cheese is a mature cheese with a unique taste obtained by pressing Erzurum Civil Cheese, either mixed with cottage cheese or pressed into plastic containers suitable for food packaging, draining the whey, and naturally allowing it to mold. Lean or low-fat cheeses like Civil and cottage cheese are rich in protein, calcium, and phosphorus. These cheeses play a significant role in the nutrition of children and the elderly, and they meet the quality animal protein needs of those inclined toward a diet with low-fat foods. Civil cheese is one of our cheeses that received a geographical indication registration by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office on 06.02.2009, with its production area limited to the geographical region formed by the Erzurum Province and its districts. The local people consume different types of Civil cheese (Plain pickled civil, cottage pressed civil, plain pressed civil cheeses), and it is a staple on their tables for every meal. Civil cheese is a low-fat or low-fat cheese made by adding a small amount of liquid whey yeast to acidified skim milk up to a certain degree, applying heat treatment to the resulting curd, mixing and kneading it, and then hanging it to create fibers (threads) within the mass. It can be consumed fresh or preserved in brine, salted as plain pressed (sliced lengthwise), and sometimes matured by pressing it together with cottage cheese. Recently, it is also sold vacuum-packed. In the case of pressed Civil cheese, the spontaneously developed blue-green molds during maturation add a special flavor to the cheese, becoming a significant preference for local consumers. These cheeses are locally known as "göğermiş cheese."For the production of Erzurum Molded Cheese (civil+cottage cheese), the cottage cheese used must have the following characteristics, and the Civil cheese used must also be Erzurum Civil Cheese with the characteristics specified below. Cottage Cheese and its Description: In the dairy industry, a branch of the food industry, some by-products are formed during the processing of certain products. Not utilizing these by-products leads to significant losses both in terms of nutritional value and economically. This is true for whey (cheese whey) left over from the processing of milk, especially in small businesses where it is used in the production of cottage cheese or directly in animal feeding, and it is generally not subject to evaluation in dairy factories. The simplest way to evaluate Whey Protein Concentrate (PAS) is through cottage cheese production. Depending on the characteristics of PAS, different compositions of cottage cheese are obtained. Cottage cheese is a type of cheese that is obtained by heating PAS to 50-55°C, adjusting its acidity, adding 2-3% salt when the temperature reaches 82-85°C in the cooking boiler, waiting for the formation of curd without damaging it, and continuously stirring PAS. Meanwhile, serum proteins coagulate on the surface in the form of white particles. The temperature is raised to 90-95°C, and after waiting for 15 minutes, the formed curd is transferred to strained containers or cheesecloth. This process results in the production of cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is rich in protein and other food components, and due to the animal origin of its protein, it has a high biological value. Erzurum Civil Cheese: Civil cheese is a regional cheese type classified as a lean or low-fat cheese obtained from milk of animals fed with various nutritious herbs in the high mountains between the provinces of Erzurum. It is produced by acidifying the skimmed milk left after removing the fat using separators, fermenting it with liquid whey yeast, and heating the resulting curd to create fibers (threads) within the mass by mixing and kneading it, and then hanging it. The production area of Erzurum Civil Cheese is limited to the high mountains of Erzurum, where animals are fed with various herbs. The milk obtained from these animals undergoes various controls to ensure its authenticity and freshness. Once confirmed as unadulterated and fresh, the milk is processed in the factory. The milk is passed through separators to remove the fat. The acidity of the skimmed milk is adjusted to 22 degrees Soxhlet-Henkel (ºSH). The most important feature in the production of Civil cheese is to bring the acidity level to 22 ºSH. To acidify, either whey or waits are added. The milk is slowly heated, and at 35-45°C, approximately 100 ml of liquid whey yeast (rennet) is added to initiate fermentation. After this process, thermal processing continues. Curd particles begin to form at 52-62°C in the milk. These curd particles are brought together by stirring and wrapped around a wooden ladle. During this process, the heating process continues up to 60-65°C. The resulting curd is shaped into threads through kneading and stretching. At the same time, the cheese is hung on hooks to allow it to ferment and elongate. The cheese is collected from the hooks and hung again. This process is repeated several times. In the last hanging process, the cheese is left hanging for 30 minutes. This way, the cheese acquires a fibrous structure. The cheese with a fibrous structure is placed on a clean surface to allow the water to drain completely. Later, it can be matured by salting, vacuum packaging, dry salting, or pressing with 20-30% lean cottage cheese. Additionally, Erzurum Civil Cheese can be consumed fresh.