Savastepe Mihalic Head Cheese Product Description and Distinguishing Features: Savaştepe Mihaliç Kelle Peyniri (Mihaliç Head Cheese); produced in the Savaştepe district of Balıkesir province, using a mixture of sheep and cow's milk or solely cow's milk. It has a hard crust, ranging in color from yellow to white, with a seamless and porous structure. Depending on the degree of hardness, it falls mainly into the category of hard cheese, with a slight tendency towards semi-hard cheese. The cheese is matured in brine. Sheep milk is mainly obtained from breeds such as Kıvırcık and Kıvırcık Merino crosses. Since the milk production of these breeds increases in April, May, and June, cheeses produced during this period may contain sheep's milk. When sheep milk production is low, only cow's milk is used. If a mixture of sheep and cow's milk is used, the proportion of sheep milk must be at least 40%. Shaping the curd in Savaştepe Mihaliç Kelle Peyniri is done using traditional methods, carrying specific characteristics of the geographical region. The curd is gathered into cheesecloths, hung on hooks, and holes are pierced using skewers to drain the whey. At this stage, the curd takes on the shape of a "head" (kelle). The remaining whey is drained by pressing the curd in perforated molds for 12-16 hours. During the dry resting stage, the remaining water is removed, and color formation is achieved. After being divided into pieces, it is immersed in brine to create pores with a maximum diameter of 10 mm. Production Method: The milk used in the production of Savaştepe Mihaliç Kelle Peyniri is sourced from animals raised within the geographical boundary. During the period of April to June, when sheep's milk is available, it can be mixed with cow's milk produced during the same period. In times when sheep's milk is not available, only cow's milk is used. Small ruminants are primarily fed with approximately 80-90% grazing in pastures. The remaining 10-20% consists of clover, barley-oat mash (pelleted feed), bran, and corn silage. The nutrition of large ruminants is composed of 70% roughage, where 50% of the roughage consists of silage and sugar beet pulp, and the rest is a mixture of clover, oats, and straw. Pelleted feed constitutes 30% of the nutrition.The milk used in the production of Savaştepe Mihaliç Kelle Peyniri does not contain substances that inhibit/neutralize acidity development. No processes are performed to change the composition of the milk, such as fat removal or water addition. Raw milk is collected, strained, and any foreign substances are removed. The strained raw milk is transferred to cooking tanks and subjected to heat treatment at a maximum temperature of 50-65 °C for a maximum of 15 minutes. After heat treatment, it is cooled to the fermentation temperature, which varies between 30-35 °C depending on the season. The fermentation temperature is crucial for curd formation, and obtaining curd during the fermentation process is essential. Whey cheese rennet is used as a cheese rennet in this process. The amount of rennet is 10-20 g for 100 liters of milk. The fermentation period is generally between 1-1.5 hours. Once the curd formed during fermentation reaches the size of a rice grain, the process moves on to the boiling stage. The curd is boiled at 80-95 °C by applying hot water. The temperature of the whey is generally between 38-45 °C. After boiling, the curd is separated from the whey. Traditional methods are used to shape the curd into a form known as "teleme." The curd is placed in cheesecloths, hung on hooks, and holes are quickly pierced from bottom to top using food-safe metal skewers to allow some of the whey to drain. With this application, the curd takes on the shape of a "head." This process not only facilitates drainage but also cools the curd. Subsequently, for further removal of the remaining whey, the curd is separated from the whey by pressing in perforated molds with a draining capacity for at least 1 hour. After being left overnight, the curds are divided into 3 pieces and subjected to dry resting. Dry resting is carried out at temperatures of 10-12 °C in rooms for at least 1 week, allowing for the development of the yellow color and removal of excess whey due to curdling of the cheese mass. Subsequently, the cheese is matured in brine for 5-10 days under room conditions with a salinity range of 14-16 °C, allowing for the eye-opening stage. Afterward, it is matured in brine for a minimum of 120 days in rooms at 4 °C.After the maturation process, Savaştepe Mihaliç Kelle Peyniri is presented to the consumer in food-safe packaging, complying with relevant regulations and containing appropriate label information. The product is stored, transported, and marketed at temperatures below 8 °C.